The invention describes method for delivering and positioning radio-isotopes. The method uses encapsulating free flowing medicament into a leak proof vehicle and positioning the vehicle into the body. Also provided is a system for delivering and positioning radio-isotopes into the body, the system comprising fluid radio-isotope encapsulated in a leak proof material and/or absorbable material.

The disclosure pertains to a strontium-90 sealed radiological or radioactive source, such as may be used with treatment of the eye or other medical or industrial processes. The sealed radiological source includes a radiological insert within an encapsulation. The encapsulation may include increased shielding in the center thereof.

A carrier having one or more non-planar surfaces may be embedded with one or more radioactive seeds. A spherical carrier may be substantially radially symmetrical around an axis or a spherical carrier may include a non-spherical portion, such as a tapered portion that extends from a spherical portion.

Custom radioactive seed carriers are fabricated pre-operatively and/or intra-operatively to more precisely match carrier specification of a radiation treatment plan for a particular patient. One or more carrier specification component, such as a 3D printer, injection molding system, machining component, or bioprinter, may be utilized to create the custom carrier.

Systems and methods including a material that emits high energy beta particles to destroy cancer cells contained in cancerous tumor or tissue. Electronic neutron generators produce neutrons with energies that have a high probability to interact with the material yttrium-89 to produce yttrium-90. Yttrium-90 emits beta radiation with a maximum energy of about 2.25 MeV and a half-life of about 64 hours, which decays to stable zirconium. Stable yttrium-89 can be directly placed in or around cancerous tissue and irradiated with neutrons in the 0.1-15 KeV energy range to produce significant amounts of yttrium-90. The beta radiation emitted by yttrium-90 will primarily destroy the more radiation sensitive cancer cells within the range of the beta particles. The resulting zirconium isotope is not radioactive such that no further radiation is released. A low probability gamma is also created that will assist in cancer cell destruction.

Provided herein as systems, apparatus, and methods for the effective and minimally invasive deployment of medical devices or therapeutic agents using a steerable guidewire/catheter assembly. The steerable guidewire and/or catheter has a bendable distal portion comprising an ionic electroactive polymer actuator, which is allowed to deform, bend or expand from its original shape in at least one dimension.

An implantable device comprising a nanochanneled membrane is described. The device uses nanofluidics to control the delivery of diagnostic and/or therapeutic agents intratumorally. The devices can be used for chemotherapy, radiosensitization, immunomodulation, and imaging contrast.

A flexible or elastic brachytherapy strand that includes an imaging marker and/or a therapeutic, diagnostic or prophylactic agent such as a drug in a biocompatible carrier that can be delivered to a subject upon implantation into the subject through the bore of a brachytherapy implantation needle has been developed. Strands can be formed as chains or continuous arrays of seeds up to 50 centimeters or more, with or without spacer material, flaccid, rigid, or flexible.

Described embodiments include an apparatus (20, 21), which includes a support (22), including an outer surface (24) and configured for insertion into a body of a subject. The apparatus further includes multiple atoms (26) of a radionuclide, which radioactively decays to produce a daughter radionuclide, coupled to the outer surface, and a layer (28, 33) of a polymer, which is permeable to the daughter radionuclide, that covers the atoms. Other embodiments are also described.

A method of accumulating radium radionuclides, comprising providing a first solution including thorium radionuclides and a thorium-binding extractant, wherein the first solution does not bind to radium, allowing a portion of the thorium radionuclides in the first solution to decay into radium atoms and collecting radium atoms resulting from the decay. The collected radium atoms may be included in a solution in which brachytherapy sources are dipped, in a manner which collects the radium atoms onto the source.