arXiv subjects

Zhencen He

Publications and source records attributed to Zhencen He.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Distinct Radiobiological Responses to BNCT in SAS Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

This work compared the radiobiological responses of SAS oral squamous cell carcinoma cells and MCF-7 breast cancer cells following accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Neutrons were generated by bombarding a lithium target with proton beams, followed by moderation to obtain sufficient thermal neutrons for BNCT irradiation. Boronophenylalanine (BPA) was used as the boron delivery agent. BNCT-induced biological responses were evaluated by gamma-H2AX immunofluorescence staining, cell-cycle analysis, apoptosis analysis, and clonogenic survival assays. BNCT induced marked gamma-H2AX foci formation in both cell lines, indicating DNA damage-associated responses after irradiation. The two cell lines further showed distinct post-irradiation outcomes. SAS cells exhibited stronger clonogenic suppression and prominent G2/M accumulation, whereas MCF-7 cells showed sustained G0/G1 accumulation and delayed apoptosis. These results suggest that BNCT sensitivity is determined by both boron accumulation and cell-line-specific biological characteristics. This work provides experimental evidence highlighting the importance of tumor-dependent cellular responses in understanding and optimizing BNCT efficacy.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2026

Simulation of complex DNA damage enhancement and biological effect validation for Proton-CAT

Proton therapy has been rapidly advancing due to its excellent conformal index, but its relatively low relative biological effect (RBE) has somewhat limited its therapeutic efficacy for certain tumors. To address this, we previously proposed a nitrogen-targeting Proton-Carbon-Alpha-Therapy (Proton-CAT) enhancement method. In this letter, we present combined multi-scale DNA damage simulations and in vitro cell experiments, further investigating the mechanism of the Proton-CAT. It has been show that $^{15}$N enrichment significantly enhances complex DNA damage induced by high linear energy transfer(LET) particles within tumor regions. Under 30\% $^{15}$N conditions, $\alpha$ and $^{12}$C particle induced DSB++ increased by 175.19\% and 52.94\%, respectively. Furthermore, in vitro cell experiments using $^{15}$N-glutamine ($^{15}$N-Glu) as the $^{15}$N carrier indicated that high concentrations of $^{15}$N-Glu did not bring about significant cytotoxicity. Following 2 Gy irradiation, the cell viability in the 500 $\mu$g/mL $^{15}$N-Glu treated group exhibited a net reduction of about 15.41\% compared to the control group.This indicates that the enhanced effect of Proton-CAT primarily stems from increased complex DNA damage. This work provides a theoretical basis and multi-scale research framework for the development of the Proton-CAT.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2024

Proton-CAT: a Novel Strategy for Enhanced Proton Therapy

We present a nitrogen-targeting-Proton-Carbon-Alpha-Therapy method, abbreviated as Proton-CAT, which partially converts protons into carbon-12 and $α$ particles through nuclear reactions between protons and nitrogen-15. Monte Carlo simulations validated the effectiveness of the Proton-CAT, and the study specifically focused on the distribution of relative energy deposition. The results indicated that the presence of nitrogen-15 enhanced the maximum dose level of protons, resulting in more effective damage confined to tumor cells. Statistical analysis of secondary ions has shown that the Proton-CAT significantly increases the production efficiencies of carbon-12 and $α$ particles. Furthermore, it has been revealed that elevating the nitrogen-15 concentration significantly boosts the dose of carbon and $α$ particles within the tumor region. The present work would contribute to the future development of proton therapy.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2024

Effect of the ${\rm^{15}N(p,α)^{12}C}$ reaction on the kinetic energy release of water molecule fragmentation

In this work, we investigated the effect of ${\rm^{15}N(p,α)^{12}C}$ reaction produced by the collision between proton and ammonia monohydrate on the kinetic energy release (KER) of water molecule fragmentation. After the occurrence of the nuclear reaction, it was found that the charge states $q$ and the flight speeds $v$ are the main factors affecting the KER of water molecule fragmentation. With the value of $q/v$ increases, the KER distribution gets wider and the peak position changes more pronounced. The energy gained by each fragment is related to the mass of the fragment and the distance of the fragment from the nuclear reaction. In this study, the fragments with smaller masses and the distances far away from the nuclear reaction get higher energies. The fragments of water molecules getting higher energy may induce other factors affecting the radiotherapy effect, which needs more detailed investigations in the future.

physics.chem-ph↗