NANORAD 2 Protocol Tests Nanoparticles With Radiotherapy for Brain Metastases
Published in Brain/Neurology, Journals, Nanomedicine.
Published October 25, 2026.
A newly published BMC Cancer protocol describes NANORAD 2, a randomized phase II study evaluating whether AGuIX nanoparticles can improve the effects of whole-brain radiotherapy for multiple brain metastases.
Alexis Mercier and colleagues describe a multicentre comparison of radiotherapy alone with radiotherapy plus three intravenous nanoparticle injections. Eligible patients have brain metastases from a confirmed solid tumor and cannot benefit from stereotactic radiotherapy. The primary assessment concerns intracranial tumor response at six weeks and three months.
AGuIX is being investigated as a radiosensitizer: an agent intended to increase tumor sensitivity to radiation. The protocol cites earlier phase I findings of tolerability and tumor uptake visible on MRI, but those observations do not establish comparative efficacy.
This publication reports the study design, not randomized treatment results. It therefore cannot demonstrate improved survival, cognitive outcomes or disease control.
The trial was registered in January 2019 as NCT03818386; the published protocol identifies version 9, dated May 10, 2023. The October 2026 publication should not be mistaken for a newly launched trial.