Missouri Team Creates New Liver Cancer Treatment

A new weapon against liver cancer just passed a crucial milestone, and it comes from an unlikely place: glass beads smaller than a grain of sand.

The University of Missouri, MU Health Care, and ABK Biomedical recently launched human trials for a treatment that targets liver tumors with remarkable precision. After years of development and testing, patients are now receiving the therapy that showed perfect results in earlier studies.

The treatment uses something called Eye90 microspheres. These are tiny glass beads embedded with yttrium-90, a radioactive particle that kills cancer cells. Doctors inject the beads into an artery, where they travel directly to the liver and lodge inside tumors.

Once inside, the beads release radiation that destroys cancerous tissue while leaving healthy cells mostly untouched. The radiation works on a 64-hour half-life, meaning it weakens by half every few days until it disappears completely, like a melting ice cube.

What makes this treatment special is its precision. The isotopes show up clearly on PET and CT scans, allowing doctors to see exactly where they go and confirm they've reached their target. This reduces damage to healthy liver tissue, a major problem with traditional cancer treatments.

The University of Missouri Research Reactor produces the yttrium-90 isotopes, and it's the only facility in the nation doing this work. ABK Biomedical operates part of the reactor to create these customized radioactive materials specifically for cancer treatment.

The partnership between the university and ABK Biomedical started in February 2019. Since then, they've worked together to refine the treatment and prove it works safely.

Before treating people, researchers tested Eye90 on companion animals through MU's College of Veterinary Medicine. The results convinced the FDA to approve human trials, a significant regulatory hurdle for any new medical treatment.

The Ripple Effect

Early results give real hope. In 2024 clinical trials, researchers treated seven tumors in six patients and tracked their progress for six months. Every single measurable outcome was positive, a rare achievement in cancer research.

Uriah Orland, director of communications for the reactor, explained that this success opened the door to the current human trials. "That proved it was safe and effective, to the point where the FDA approved them for in-person human clinical trials," he said.

The team will monitor patients for a full year, tracking how tumors respond and measuring quality of life. This data will determine whether the treatment needs adjustments or if ABK Biomedical can petition the FDA for commercial approval.

If approved nationwide, Eye90 could reach thousands of liver cancer patients who need better options. Liver cancer remains difficult to treat, and therapies that minimize damage to healthy tissue could transform outcomes for people facing this diagnosis.

The collaboration also shows what's possible when universities, medical centers, and biotech companies work together. Missouri's research reactor became a crucial piece of cancer treatment innovation, turning nuclear science into healing.

For patients in the current trials, the treatment represents hope backed by solid science and careful testing. They're helping prove whether this precise approach to fighting cancer can become the new standard.

A treatment born from glass beads and nuclear physics might soon give liver cancer patients something they desperately need: a fighting chance with fewer side effects.