La Lanthanum

Lanthanum and its sister lanthanides turned out to be essential for some bacteria, and lanthanum carbonate lowers high blood phosphate in kidney failure.

Basic facts

Symbol	La
Atomic number	57
Standard atomic weight	138.9055
Group	none (lanthanide series)
Period	6
Block	f-block
Category	Lanthanide
Standard state	Solid
Discovered	1839

Source: PubChem, Lanthanum (periodic table data, retrieved 2026-10-19). Group and period follow the standard 18-column periodic table.

Biotech uses & experiments

Uses proposed by researchers are listed on Potential uses.

biology

lab biology 2013

Rare earths essential for a methane-eating microbe

Pol and colleagues found the acid-loving methanotroph Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV, from an Italian volcanic mudpot, needs lanthanides such as lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium and neodymium to grow; they are an essential cofactor of its methanol dehydrogenase.

As reported in: Pol, Barends, Dietl et al. (2013). Rare earth metals are essential for methanotrophic life in volcanic mudpots. Environmental Microbiology. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.12249

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lab biology 2018

Lanmodulin, a lanthanide-sensing protein

Cotruvo and colleagues discovered lanmodulin in the bacterium Methylobacterium extorquens, a protein that changes shape in response to picomolar lanthanides but needs near-millimolar calcium.

As reported in: Cotruvo, Featherston, Mattocks et al. (2018). Lanmodulin: A Highly Selective Lanthanide-Binding Protein from a Lanthanide-Utilizing Bacterium. Journal of the American Chemical Society. doi:10.1021/jacs.8b09842

Abstract only

biomedical

commercial biomedical 2003

Lanthanum carbonate phosphate binder

In a phase III placebo-controlled study in hemodialysis patients, lanthanum carbonate, a phosphate binder without calcium or aluminium, lowered serum phosphorus and was well tolerated.

As reported in: Joy, Finn (2003). Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-titration, phase III study assessing the efficacy and tolerability of lanthanum carbonate: a new phosphate binder for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia. American Journal of Kidney Diseases. doi:10.1016/s0272-6386(03)00554-7

Abstract only

Topics on this site about lanthanum

Rare earth elements
3 entries

Entries elsewhere on the site that mention lanthanum

Found by name, common compounds and chemical formulas in each entry.

Lanthanum-diatomite for phosphate · Diatomite · 2019
Tuning upconversion nanocrystals · Yttrium · 2010

Patents

Search Google Patents for lanthanum in biological and medical uses: all patents · recent applications (2022+)

A patent is a legal claim, not proof that something works. See the Patents page.