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idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
At the Waste Management Symposium 2026 in Phoenix (Arizona, USA), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) guest scientist Jason Ross has been honored for his outstanding contributions to the German-French research project ActiDecorp. The project has an ambitious goal: to develop novel active substances that can efficiently remove radioactive actinides from the human body. The consortium is thus responding to a growing risk of possible contamination – whether through accidents, occupational exposure, or other incidents.
To date, there is only one approved drug worldwide for so-called decontamination therapy: DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetate). However, this agent can only effectively bind and remove some of the actinides from the body. Highly radiotoxic elements such as uranium or neptunium are not captured efficiently. At the same time, essential metals such as iron or calcium are also “captured.” If actinides enter the body through inhalation, ingestion, or wounds, they are stored in organs or bones for long periods of time – with potentially serious health consequences.
This is where ActiDecorp comes in. An interdisciplinary consortium from the fields of chemistry, biology, pharmacy, and radiochemistry is developing new, bio-inspired chelators – organic molecules that can specifically bind metal ions. The participants are the University of Strasbourg, the University of Burgundy Europe in Dijon, the Technical University of Dresden (TUD), HZDR, and the Autorité de sûreté nucléaire et de radioprotection (ASNR) in Paris. Together, they cover the entire value chain – from basic molecular research to synthesis and analysis to preclinical testing.
Molecular precision work with radioactive elements
The scientific challenge is complex. Actinides such as uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, and curium occur in many different forms, known as oxidation states. This means that they differ in size and their electronic structure. These subtle differences influence their binding behavior with organic molecules. An effective chelator must therefore be highly selective: it should bind only the radioactive metal ion – but not vital metal ions such as magnesium, calcium, manganese, copper, or zinc. To be used in the human body, it must also be water-soluble and non-toxic. When such a ligand encounters a suitable actinide, it literally wraps itself around the metal ion and encapsulates it. In this form, the radioactive substance can be excreted from the body.
Central to the award-winning work of Jason Ross, a doctoral student at TUD and guest researcher at the Institute of Resource Ecology at HZDR, is the systematic investigation of such binding mechanisms.
At HZDR, he uses the unique infrastructure – in particular, the radiochemical control area with highly specialized analytics – to analyze interactions between novel ligands and early actinides from thorium to plutonium.
One focus of his doctoral thesis is on cyclic hydroxamates, which show promising properties, especially for tetravalent actinides, but have hardly been researched for therapeutic purposes to date. Ross is investigating in detail the binding of small hydroxamate ligands and hydroxyquinoline – molecular building blocks of potential decorporation agents. The experimental results are incorporated into quantum chemical calculations, which are used to model larger, tailor-made chelators on the computer. This creates a close cycle between experiment and theory, which drives development forward in a targeted manner.
At the same time, the French partners in Strasbourg are synthesizing larger chelate structures, while in Dijon their stability is first tested on non-radioactive metal analogues. In Paris, promising candidates are finally tested in vivo on rat models to evaluate their actual decontamination efficiency. The findings are then fed back into molecular development.
Jason Ross's work is making a decisive contribution to understanding the subtle differences in the binding behavior of different actinides and their oxidation states. This knowledge forms the basis for more selective and effective drugs.
Beyond medical applications, the research is also significant for environmental analysis, the remediation of contaminated soils, and the development of sensitive detection technologies for individual actinides. Jason Ross's work thus not only contributes to improving radiation protection, but also strengthens scientific cooperation between Germany and France.
The Roy G. Post Scholarship, awarded by the Roy G. Post Foundation at the Waste Management Symposium, recognizes research that combines molecular precision with societal relevance and represents an important step toward a safer future in the handling of radioactive materials.
Further information on the foundation and conference: https://mailchi.mp/wmsym.org/2026roygpostfoundationscholarshipawards
Additional information:
Dr. Juliane März
Institute of Resource Ecology at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 260 3209 | Email: j.maerz@hzdr.de
Media contact:
Simon Schmitt | Head
Communications and Media Relations at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 260 3400 | Mobile: +49 175 874 2865 | Email: s.schmitt@hzdr.de
Dr. Juliane März
Institute of Resource Ecology at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 260 3209 | Email: j.maerz@hzdr.de
https://www.hzdr.de/presse/jross
Jason Ross and Juliane März analyzing single-crystal structure data.
Source: Peter Kaden
Copyright: Peter Kaden
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