Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC | Virginia Tech Health & Biomedical Research

_{Aug. 21, 2026}

Oral therapy shows potential to protect healthy tissue from radiation

Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have developed an experimental oral therapy that protected mice from otherwise harmful radiation exposure while preserving radiation’s ability to destroy cancer cells, a finding that could ultimately improve cancer treatment and strengthen preparedness for radiological emergencies.

Published in the September issue of Cancer Letters, the study describes an investigational therapy called XOlacta that packages a therapeutic peptide known as alpha-CT11 inside naturally occurring milk-derived extracellular vesicles, which are tiny, naturally occurring particles that cells use to transport biological molecules. The vesicles protect the peptide as it passes through the digestive system, allowing the treatment to be administered orally rather than by injection.

“There are currently no treatments that protect the body from the widespread effects of high-dose radiation exposure,” said Robert Gourdie, the Heywood Fralin Professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the study’s senior author. “Our goal was to develop a therapy that protects the organs most vulnerable to radiation injury while preserving radiation’s ability to treat cancer.”