Development of a multipurpose small animal phantom for pre-clinical radiotherapy studies

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The initial aim of the project is to establish a commercial dosimetry service for pre-clinical radiobiology studies which will i)improve the data and accuracy of experiments via provision of state of the art dosimetry, ii) reduce the total number ofanimals used and iii) provide a novel 3D tissue-based platform for study of radiosensitizers.This will be achieved through the development of standardized dosimetry protocols that will reduce dose uncertainties, andthe development of a multipurpose small animal phantom. A number of different irradiation units are currently employedacross the UK using their own dosimetry schedules, therefore as part of establishing the new service a comprehensiveaudit of current practices will be undertaken. Due to the steep dose responses in radiation studies a 5% reduction in doseuncertainty would roughly halve the number of animals required to achieve the same statistical relevance. The definition ofstandards and quality assurance procedures for radiobiological studies will help regulate preclinical radiotherapy activities.This will increase the confidence of clinical researchers and the funding bodies in such methods, as well as opening newmarket opportunities for dosimetry services offered by the National Physics Laboratory (NPL). The proposed newdosimetry service for pre-clinical imaging will scale-down established methodologies from the clinical to provide confidenceand accuracy for pre-clinical work, bringing the latter up to the same standard as the existing provision for patients. As amajor supplier of x-ray equipment, Xstrahl Ltd will benefit from an increase in radiobiological studies as the economic andmethodological barriers to entry are lowered.A unique type of phantom will also be developed that is capable of housing a bespoke microfluidic device, containing atissue biopsy that will offer an alternative in vivo-like option for radiation-drug synergistic studies. The phantom will containtissues slices, e.g. 4mm x 4mm x 0.2mm from xenograft models or human biopsies and these can then be used tomeasure the effects of irradiation with or without drugs, under precisely controlled conditions. Furthermore these tissue studies will incorporate all the improved dosimetry measurements thus significantly improving the experimental accuracy.The project addresses issues identified by research organisations, funding bodies and the clinical community and opens upnew business opportunities for NPL, improvements in technology for Xstrahl Ltd and licensing or spin-out options for theUniversity of Hull.