Yinghuai Zhu 
FRONTIERS IN BORON-BASED MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY 

Boron has long occupied a privileged role in chemistry (as a catalyst component) and human health (as a micronutrient). In 1951, boron science took a momentous leap forward with its application in clinical cancer research. The seventy or so years since have witnessed exciting developments in the technology now known as Boron Nuclear Capture Therapy (BNCT), a binary form of radiotherapy that lethally combines two separately non-lethal constituents: a boron-based radiosensitizer and non-ionizing neutron radiation. Frontiers in Boron-based Medicinal Chemistry is a one-stop resource on the current state of BNCT and promising works in the pipeline. It begins with an introduction to general boron chemistry, with extensive discussion on important boron compounds including boranes, boronic acids, carboranes, and FDA-approved boron drugs. Chapter 2 looks at BNCT in clinical trials, while Chapter 3 describes emerging next-generation agents such as boron-based nanoparticles and dendrimers. The penultimate chapter summarizes the currently used and emerging imaging techniques in BNCT, namely, PET, CT, MRI and fluorescence microscopy. The book concludes with a technically heavy chapter on neutron sources and dosimetry. The cutting-edge information contained in this authoritative volume will be a valuable resource for all those involved in mankind’s endless struggle against cancer.

Contents:

• Preface


• About the Editor


• General Boron Chemistry and Medicinal Applications:
  
  
  
  • Elemental Boron
  
  
  • General Boron Chemistry
  
  
  • The Preparation of Elemental Boron
  
  
  • Boron Compounds with Important Influence
  
  
  • Boron Compounds for Pharmaceutical Applications
  
  
  • References
  
  


• Boron Neutron Capture Therapy in Clinical Trials:
  
  
  
  • BNCT in Cancer Therapy
  
  
  • Importance of the Boron Drug in BNCT
  
  
  • New Boron Agents Developed for BNCT
  
  
  • Conclusions and Perspectives
  
  
  • References
  
  


• Dendritic and Nanostructured Boron Compounds for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy:
  
  
  
  • Introduction to Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
  
  
  • Introduction to Nanomaterials and Dendrimers
  
  
  • Advantages of Nanomaterials and Dendrimers
  
  
  • BNCT for Treatment of Cancer
  
  
  • Conclusion
  
  
  • References
  
  


• Application of Theranostic Technology in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy:
  
  
  
  • Introduction
  
  
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging in BNCT
  
  
  • Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Scanning in BNCT
  
  
  • Fluorescence Imaging in BNCT
  
  
  • Summary and Outlook
  
  
  • References
  
  


• Developments in Neutron Sources for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy:
  
  
  
  • The Neutron
  
  
  • Neutron Sources for BNCT
  
  
  • Dosimetries in BNCT
  
  
  • Treatment Process
  
  
  • References
  
  


• Index

Readership: Industrial scientists, academics, and graduate students in medicinal/pharmaceutical chemistry, drug design/development, nanomedicine and cancer research. Chapter 4 will be of interests to radiologists and those in nuclear medicine, while Chapter 5 will appeal to biomedical engineers and medical physicists.

‘The author is an excellent and well-known researcher in the field of boron chemistry. Given the importance of boron chemistry in medicinal applications, and the scarcity of reviews on that field, this book is timely.’ – Weng Kee Leong FRSCProfessor of Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

‘Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has emerged as a promising method in cancer treatment. The book covers broad areas in BNCT research, so it is of interest to both academia and the pharmaceutical industry.’ – Xuanjun Zhang Associate Professor, University of Macau, China

Key Features:

• A comprehensive summary of the current status of boron agents, diagnostic technologies and clinical trials for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)


• Highly multidisciplinary, with chapters on boron chemistry, neutron physics, cancer clinical trials, imaging, dosimetry, etc.