Editing Lanthanide (section)

===Possible medical uses===
Currently there is research showing that lanthanide elements can be used as anticancer agents. The main role of the lanthanides in these studies is to inhibit proliferation of the cancer cells. Specifically cerium and lanthanum have been studied for their role as anti-cancer agents.

One of the specific elements from the lanthanide group that has been tested and used is cerium (Ce). There have been studies that use a protein-cerium complex to observe the effect of cerium on the cancer cells. The hope was to inhibit cell proliferation and promote cytotoxicity.<ref name="Palizban 119–125">{{Cite journal|title = Effect of cerium lanthanide on Hela and MCF-7 cancer cell growth in the presence of transferring|journal = Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences|date = 1 January 2010|pmc = 3093623|pmid = 21589800|pages = 119–125|volume = 5|issue = 2|first1 = A. A.|last1 = Palizban|first2 = H.|last2 = Sadeghi-aliabadi|first3 = F.|last3 = Abdollahpour}}</ref> Transferrin receptors in cancer cells, such as those in breast cancer cells and epithelial cervical cells, promote the cell proliferation and malignancy of the cancer.<ref name="Palizban 119–125"/> Transferrin is a protein used to transport iron into the cells and is needed to aid the cancer cells in DNA replication.  Transferrin acts as a growth factor for the cancerous cells and is dependent on iron. Cancer cells have much higher levels of transferrin receptors than normal cells and are very dependent on iron for their proliferation.<ref name="Palizban 119–125"/> 
In the field of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), compounds containing gadolinium are utilized extensively.<ref>Cundari  TR,  Saunders  LC.  Modeling  lanthanide  coordination  complexes.  Comparison  of semiempirical and classical methods. Journal of chemical information and computer sciences. 1998 May 18;38(3):523-8</ref>
The photobiological characteristics, anticancer, anti-leukemia, and anti-HIV activities of the lanthanides with coumarin and its related compounds are demonstrated by the biological activities of the complex.<ref>razul M, Budzisz E. Biological activity of metal ions complexes of chromones, coumarins and flavones. Coordination Chemistry Reviews. 2009 Nov 1;253(21-22):2588-98</ref>
Cerium has shown results as an anti-cancer agent due to its similarities in structure and biochemistry to iron.  Cerium may bind in the place of iron on to the transferrin and then be brought into the cancer cells by transferrin-receptor mediated endocytosis.<ref name="Palizban 119–125"/> The cerium binding to the transferrin in place of the iron inhibits the transferrin activity in the cell. This creates a toxic environment for the cancer cells and causes a decrease in cell growth. This is the proposed mechanism for cerium's effect on cancer cells, though the real mechanism may be more complex in how cerium inhibits cancer cell proliferation. Specifically in [[HeLa]] cancer cells studied in vitro, cell viability was decreased after 48 to 72 hours of cerium treatments. Cells treated with just cerium had decreases in cell viability, but cells treated with both cerium and transferrin had more significant inhibition for cellular activity.<ref name="Palizban 119–125"/>
Another specific element that has been tested and used as an anti-cancer agent is lanthanum, more specifically lanthanum chloride (LaCl<sub>3</sub>). The lanthanum ion is used to affect the levels of let-7a and microRNAs miR-34a in a cell throughout the cell cycle.  When the lanthanum ion was introduced to the cell in vivo or in vitro, it inhibited the rapid growth and induced apoptosis of the cancer cells (specifically cervical cancer cells). This effect was caused by the regulation of the let-7a and microRNAs by the lanthanum ions.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Yu|first1=Lingfang|last2=Xiong|first2=Jieqi|last3=Guo|first3=Ling|last4=Miao|first4=Lifang|last5=Liu|first5=Sisun|last6=Guo|first6=Fei|year=2015|title=The effects of lanthanum chloride on proliferation and apoptosis of cervical cancer cells: involvement of let-7a and miR-34a microRNAs|journal=BioMetals|volume=28|issue=5|pages=879–890|doi=10.1007/s10534-015-9872-6|pmid=26209160|s2cid=15715889}}<!--|access-date = 2015--></ref> The mechanism for this effect is still unclear but it is possible that the lanthanum is acting in a similar way as the cerium and binding to a ligand necessary for cancer cell proliferation.
In the field of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), compounds containing gadolinium are utilized extensively.