Towards the medical application of laser driven particle beams: Establishment of in vitro dose response studies as the first translational step


Towards the medical application of laser driven particle beams: Establishment of in vitro dose response studies as the first translational step

Beyreuther, E.; Baumann, M.; Burris-Mog, T.; Enghardt, W.; Karsch, L.; Kraft, S.; Laschinsky, L.; Leßmann, E.; Metzkes, J.; Naumburger, D.; Oppelt, M.; Richter, C.; Schramm, U.; Schürer, M.; Zeil, K.; Pawelke, J.

During the last years, the new laser based technology of particle acceleration was developed at such a rate that medical application, i.e. for cancer therapy, becomes entirely conceivable. Promising more compact and economic proton accelerators, being suitable for existing radiotherapy hospitals, the laser technology however results in ultra-short pulsed particle beams of ultra-high pulse dose and pulse dose rate. Thus, the consequences of laser particle acceleration on beam transport and radiation field formation, dosimetry and radiobiological effects have to be investigated carefully for the whole translational chain from bench to bedside.
Within the German joint research project “onCOOPtics” systematic in vitro cell experiments aiming on the influence of the ultra-high pulse dose rate were firstly established at the Jena 10 terawatt laser system JETI that provides laser accelerated electrons of some ten MeV. Secondly, the increased laser intensity of the 150 terawatt laser system DRACO at the HZDR was applied to accelerate protons to energies of up to 20 MeV. Previous to these experiments, both laser systems had to be extensively optimized in terms of intensity, energy distribution, background reduction, spot size, stability and reliability of the particle beams. The combination of real-time monitoring of dose delivery and a precise retrospective absolute dosimetry enabled the application of defined doses, in spite of the laser based fluctuations of beam intensity and energy. For comparison, reference irradiations with conventionally accelerated, continuous particle beams were performed in parallel to each laser experiment.
In consequence, all key requirements necessary for systematic in vitro cell experiments as the basic translational step towards clinical application of laser-driven particle beams have been fulfilled. Moreover, the dose response curves obtained for pulsed and continuous particle beams show no significant influence of the ultra-high pulse dose rate on the radiobiological response. As next step, animal studies that demand for the translation from 2D to 3D irradiation are in preparation.
The work was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), grant no. 03ZIK445.

Related publications

  • Poster
    14th International Congress of Radiation Research, 28.08.-01.09.2011, Warsaw, Poland
  • Lecture (Conference)
    workshop on "Physical and biological basis of hadron radiotherapy", 02.-03.09.2011, Krakow, Poland

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Publ.-Id: 15921