What does this research mean for the field?

Boron-based medical technologies, particularly Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) and nanomedicine, are experiencing a clinical revival that requires improved delivery selectivity and dosimetry, offering strategic opportunities for resource-rich countries to lead in high-value therapeutics. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.SYNTHESIS. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

The review aims to synthesize the advancements and potential applications of boron-based therapeutics in medicine, emphasizing recent technological innovations.

April 1, 2026Open Access

The Boron Renaissance in Medicine: A Comprehensive Biophysical and Medical Physics Review

MBMuhammed Emin BedirKaramanoğlu Mehmetbey University

Key Points

The review aims to synthesize the advancements and potential applications of boron-based therapeutics in medicine, emphasizing recent technological innovations.
Review of clinical evidence and biophysical properties of boron-based therapies.
Analysis of bibliometric data from 26 original research sources published in Turkish institutions from 2004-2026.
Discussion of nanotechnology and its applications in targeted delivery and imaging.
Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is gaining clinical acceptance, notably in Japan for treating certain malignancies.
Current limitations include suboptimal delivery selectivity and challenges in real-time dosimetry.
The review suggests potential innovations using third-generation nanocarriers and advanced imaging technologies.

Abstract

The usage of boron in new medical technology is undergoing a sharp advancement, brought about as a result of the interaction between old and new technologies. With the appearance of small hospital-based accelerator neutron sources, Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is no longer limited to the nuclear reactors in the past, thus providing it with an opportunity to be used in a wider variety of clinical settings. Nanotechnology in modern-day biomedical studies is opening the doors to fresh biophysical uses of boron and these include targeted pharmacological delivery, theranostic agents, and radiosensitizers. The review is a synthesis of the basic biophysical biomarker of boron based therapeutics, clinical evidence and future technological advances. The boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has received clinical approval in Japan to treat head and neck recurrent malignancies but its overall translational utility is limited due to a lack of optimal selectivity of the delivery agents of boron and lack of in-vivo real-time dosimetry. Such areas of limitation are fertile grounds of innovation particularly using third-generation nanocarriers and advanced imaging modalities. More importantly, the scientific revival of boron therapeutics is discussed in its specific geopolitical context. Known as a commanding figure in the world interms of its boron reserves, Türkiye is a strategic resource, which offers an opportunity of historic proportions to change away as a supplier of raw materials to be among the global pioneers of high-value boron-based medicine. In addition, the review includes a bibliometric evaluation of 26 original research sources (published in Turkish institutions, (2004-2026) which thereby depicts a more advanced shift in a polymer chemistry-based foundation to intricate theranostics and reactor physics. Some strategic perspective of using this resource hegemony is finally looked upon in the review with actionable directions toward translation advancement.

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