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Abstract
Several strategies to enhance the effects of radiation therapy are being explored for various cancers, with multiple molecular pathways and physical approaches suggested to play a role. One approach to improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy in tumors is the use of radiosensitizing molecules. Among the key radiosensitizing molecules being explored in various cancers include pharmacologic inhibitors of DNA repair and gold nanoparticles that physically enhance the amount of radiation deposited inside cancer cells. The main goal of this thesis is to explore the role of DNA repair inhibition as a radiosensitizing strategy for osteosarcoma cells. Additionally, the thesis investigates the effects of particle size in the application of gold nanoparticles in osteosarcoma cells to help identify the key parameters relevant to choosing an effective gold nanoparticle-based radiosensitizer.
