What's the first thing you think of and your reaction when you hear the term "radioactivity"? Unless you're already a scientist or in a science-related field, my guess is you think of weapons of mass destruction or a nuclear plant meltdown along with a "deer-in-the-headlights" look on your face. No offense or disrespect, but that's what most people think of. When I first started my career at DuPont in the Iodination Department, I would tell people what I did and I would get every reaction from bewilderment to disbelief to outright shock. "I suppose you glow?" they would ask, or "You work with WHAT?" (Big sigh on my part!). Sometimes I wouldn't be very forthcoming as to what I did or I would modify the explanation a bit. I didn't exactly lie about what I did; I just left some details out. It just made it much easier to deal with people and eliminate the awkwardness that followed. I found it amusing quite frankly. What most people don't realize it that using radioactive materials and substances for good and noble means has lead to many important discoveries and medical uses for mankind. Radioactivity should not be looked upon as frightening and associated only with destructive methods.
When the pioneer scientists of physics and chemistry (i.e. Marie and Pierre Curie, Henri Becquerel) discovered radioactive elements, they had no idea how beneficial these substances would become in later years. Discovery of radium and plutonium would lead to the discovery of many other isotopes. Various isotopes have numerous uses and applications whether diagnostic or therapeutic. Radioactive compounds are used for detection and quantification in most if not all research settings. It is standard practice to utilize radioactive compounds in research and development of pharmaceuticals and diagnostic assays. There are many isotopes to discuss but I will limit this article to 125-I and 131-I since they are included in my area of expertise.
When Rosalyn Yalow and Solomon Berson developed the radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique in the late 1950's, they provided groundbreaking research in detecting diseases that had never been done before. However, before the actual RIA was developed, they needed a key component to this vital assay: the iodinated compound. In order to perform the RIA, a compound labeled with the isotopes of iodine, 125-I or 131-I, would be needed. Originally, before the RIA was developed, these two pioneers labeled insulin with 125-I and injected diabetic patients with the radiolabelled insulin in order to observe where insulin travelled in the body. The radiation given off by the 125-I would help them visualize where the insulin ended up, whether in urine or other parts of the body. So that they didn't have to inject people with radioactive iodine and utilize smaller quantities of materials, Yalow and Berson developed the RIA. They could mix the radiolabelled insulin with it's naturally occurring antibody to form an antibody-hormone pair. They then added a quantity of a patient's blood. Separations of the mixtures were then performed and measurements of the radioactivity taken. They could then calculate the difference in radioactivity levels so as to determine how much insulin was in the patient's sample blood.
Many researchers and scientists at various medical and pharmaceutical settings started using this assay for numerous applications. In order to procure the iodinated component for the assay, they would iodinate the compound they needed themselves. Many journal articles were published at this point with advice and guidance on how to iodinate various compounds. However, so many individuals were utilizing RIA techniques that a potential market was in the making. Companies were established to provide radioiodinated compounds and services so that researchers or medical facilities could just purchase said products and proceed with their assays. These companies are still in existence today. However, there are other means of detection such as fluorescence so the demand for iodinated compounds has fallen slightly. But the need is still there and in some instances RIA is the premium choice for quantifying biological entities in the body.
Still think that radioactivity is a scary and frightening thing? You really shouldn't. When working with radioactive materials, one must have utmost respect for the substances at hand and utilize safety regulations; however, the benefits and progress of what one can achieve by using radioactive materials (i.e. iodinated compounds) outweighs any danger that might occur. Use of iodinated compounds has lead to numerous discoveries about the human body, development of pharmaceuticals and the emergence of diagnostic tests and therapeutic treatments.
When I worked at DuPont in the Iodination Dept., I always felt like I was part of a bigger picture. Researchers at various pharmaceutical companies depended on me for providing them with quality iodinated products that would aide them in their research and development. I was always so proud to be part of that process. So radioactivity has never been frightening to me. To me, it has meant progress, innovation, discovery and breakthrough. Better understanding of the human body and cures for diseases have been made possible because of work with radioactivity. This is why I still want to provide expertise in this area of science through my consulting business. I feel that this field of chemistry is still a vital part of science and I feel very strongly about wanting to be associated with that.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you learned something new today. Please leave a comment if you wish and check in again soon for future posts. Until next time!
"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done."--Marie Curie
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