The MARIA research reactor is designed and operated as a multipurpose nuclear installation, combining material testing, neutron beam experiments, and medical and industrial radionuclide production, including molybdenum-99 (⁹⁹Mo). Recently, after fuel conversion to LEU and rejuvenation of the staff while maintaining their experience, MARIA has been used to respond to the increased interest of the scientific community in advanced nuclear power studies, both fission and fusion. In this work, we would like to introduce MARIA’ s capabilities in the irradiation technology field and how it can serve future nuclear research worldwide.

BNCT (Boron Neutron Capture Therapy) is a binary radiotherapeutic modality in which high LET (Linear Energy Transfer) particles are generated from ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction, ideally within boron-loaded tumour cells, so the therapeutic outcome depends critically on the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of boron carriers. In this review, boron-containing agents for BNCT, with a focus on ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) and model-informed design, were examined. Low-MW (low-molecular-weight) compounds, peptide conjugates, polymeric and nanostructured platforms and cell-based vectors were surveyed and how physicochemical properties, transporter engagement and nano–bio interactions govern tumour uptake, subcellular localisation and normal tissue exposure were discussed. A shift from maximising boron content towards optimising exposure profiles using PET (Positron Emission Tomography), PBK (physiologically based pharmacokinetic) modelling and in silico ADMET tools to define irradiation windows was also discussed. Classical agents such as BPA (Boronophenylalanine) and BSH (Sodium Borocaptate) are contrasted with newer polymeric and metallacarborane-based carriers, with attention to brain penetration, endosomal escape, linker stability, biodegradation and elimination routes, as well as platform-specific toxicities. Incontestably, further progress in BNCT will highly depend on integrating imaging-derived kinetics with PBPK-informed dose planning and engineering subcellularly precise yet degradable carriers, and that ADMET-guided design and spatiotemporal coordination are central to achieving reproducible clinical benefit from BNCT’s spatial selectivity.

The aim of the study is to show a method of real-time determination of the dose deposited in a tissue-like medium by α-particles emitted from the ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction. The applied research method is to determine the correlation between the measured density of α-particle traces and measured in real time the 478 keV prompt-gamma rays derived from the ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction. To achieve this aim, an appropriate construction of an experimental set-up is needed. The experimental set-up built for the purpose of the measurements carried out in the MARIA Reactor at the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Świerk, Poland, is presented. The main challenges related to obtaining optimal conditions for the measurement of the 478 keV gamma photons; the preliminary results of spectrometric measurements and further studies are also discussed.

In this review, we examine boron-containing agents for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) with a focus on absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) and model-informed design. BNCT is a binary radiotherapeutic modality in which high linear energy transfer particles are generated in the vicinity of ^10B, ideally within boron-loaded tumour cells, so the therapeutic outcome depends critically on the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of boron carriers. We survey low-molecular-weight compounds, peptide conjugates, polymeric and nanostructured platforms and cell-based vectors, and discuss how physicochemical properties, transporter engagement and nano–bio interactions govern tumour uptake, subcellular localisation and normal-tissue exposure. We also describe a shift from maximising boron content towards optimising exposure profiles using positron emission tomography (PET), physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling and in silico ADMET tools to define irradiation windows. Classical agents such as boronophenylalanine (BPA) and sodium borocaptate (BSH) are contrasted with newer polymeric and metallacarborane-based carriers, with attention to brain penetration, endosomal escape, linker stability, biodegradation and elimination routes, as well as platform-specific toxicities. We argue that further progress in BNCT will depend on integrating imaging-derived kinetics with PBPK-informed dose planning and engineering subcellularly precise yet degradable carriers, and that ADMET-guided design and spatiotemporal coordination are central to achieving reproducible clinical benefit from BNCT’s spatial selectivity.