The Laser-hybrid Accelerator for Radiobiological Applications (ITRF)

用于放射生物学应用的激光混合加速器 (ITRF)

• 批准号: ST/X005798/1
• 负责人: Elisabetta Boella
• 金额: $ 14.44万
• 依托单位: Lancaster University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FX005798%2F1
• 关键词: Laser; hybrid; Accelerator; Radiobiological; Applications

The Laser-hybrid Accelerator for Radiobiological Applications (LhARA) formed the basis of the proposal to the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Infrastructure Advisory Committee (IAC) to create an ``Ion Therapy Research Facility'' (ITRF) in the UK. The proposed ITRF "... will be a unique, compact, single-site national research infrastructure delivering the world's first high-dose-rate ions from protons through oxygen and beyond, at energies sufficient for both in-vitro and in-vivo studies." The ITRF proposal notes that a ``... laser-hybrid proton/ion source, as proposed by the existing, UK-led, international LhARA collaboration ... can deliver this and meet the needs of the ITRF." The ITRF proposal to the UKRI IAC requested funding for a "Preliminary Phase" activity "... to develop over 2 years the specification, design, and cost of the ITRF and present these in a full Conceptual Design Report (CDR).We propose to develop LhARA to serve the ITRF. LhARA is conceived as the new, highly flexible, source of radiation that is required to explore the vast "terra incognita" of the mechanisms by which the biological response to ionising radiation is determined by the physical characteristics of the beam, LhARA will exploit a laser to create a large flux of protons or light ions which are captured and formed into a beam by strong-focusing electron plasma lenses. The triggerable, laser-driven source allows protons and ions to be captured at energies significantly above the capture energies of conventional facilities, circumventing the current space-charge limit on the instantaneous dose rate that can be delivered. The plasma (Gabor) lenses provide the same focusing strength as high-field solenoids at a fraction of the cost. Post-acceleration using a fixed field alternating gradient accelerator (FFA) preserves the unique flexibility in the time, energy, and spatial structure of the beam afforded by the laser-driven source.The LhARA collaboration's long-term vision is to transform the clinical practice of proton- and ion-beam therapy (IBT) by creating a fully automated, highly flexible system to harness the unique properties of laser-driven ion beams. Such a facility will be capable of delivering particle-beam therapy in completely new regimens by delivering a variety of ion species, exploiting ultra-high dose rates and novel temporal-, spatial- and spectral-fractionation schemes. The automated, laser-hybrid system will integrate patient, soft-tissue and dose-deposition imaging with real-time treatment planning to trigger the delivery of dose tailored to the individual patient in real time. With this proposal, the multidisciplinary LhARA collaboration seeks the resources to: * Deliver the Conceptual Design Report for LhARA to serve the Ion Therapy Research Facility; * Initiate the R&D programme necessary to demonstrate the feasibility of the laser-driven creation of the requisite proton and ion fluxes through measurement and simulation; * Create the detailed specification of a second Gabor-lens prototype through an initial programme of experiment, simulation, and design; * Develop the design of an experiment to prove the principle of ion-acoustic dose-profile measurement; and * Create a detailed specification for the in-vitro and in-vivo end stations through peer-group consultation, design and simulation.The proposed two-year programme will lay the foundations for the pre-construction phase identified in the ITRF proposal. Serving the ITRF, LhARA will be a unique, compact, research infrastructure. Fundamentally new biological mechanisms in radiation treatment and immune response which underpin the clinical efficacy of proton- and ion-beam therapy will be elucidated. Exploitation of LhARA at the ITRF will promote the disruptive technologies required to pave the way for a radical transformation of clinical practice.

放射生物学应用激光混合加速器（LhARA）构成了向英国研究和创新（UKRI）基础设施咨询委员会（IAC）提出的在英国创建“离子治疗研究设施”（ITRF）的建议的基础。建议的ITRF“.将是一个独特的，紧凑的，单站点的国家研究基础设施，提供世界上第一个高剂量率的离子从质子通过氧气和超越，在能量足以在体外和体内研究。“ITRF提案指出，”......激光混合质子/离子源，由现有的，英国领导的，国际LhARA合作...可以实现这一点并满足ITRF的需求。ITRF向UKRI IAC提交的提案要求为“初步阶段”活动提供资金。在2年内制定ITRF的规格、设计和成本，并在完整的概念设计报告（CDR）中提出这些内容。我们建议开发LhARA以服务ITRF。LhARA被认为是一种新的、高度灵活的辐射源，需要探索大量的“未知领域”的机制，通过这些机制，对电离辐射的生物反应由光束的物理特性决定，LhARA将利用激光来产生大量的质子或轻离子，这些质子或轻离子被强聚焦电子等离子体透镜捕获并形成光束。可重复的，激光驱动的源允许质子和离子被捕获的能量显着高于传统设施的捕获能量，绕过当前的空间电荷限制的瞬时剂量率，可以提供。等离子体（伽柏）透镜提供相同的聚焦强度作为高场聚焦透镜的一小部分的成本。使用固定场交变梯度加速器（FFA）的后加速保留了激光驱动源所提供的束的时间、能量和空间结构的独特灵活性。LhARA合作的长期愿景是通过创建一个全自动、高度灵活的系统来利用激光驱动离子束的独特特性，从而改变质子和离子束治疗（IBT）的临床实践。这样的设施将能够通过提供各种离子种类，利用超高剂量率和新颖的时间，空间和光谱分馏方案，以全新的方案提供粒子束治疗。自动化的激光混合系统将把病人、软组织和剂量沉积成像与实时治疗计划结合起来，以触发真实的时间为个别病人量身定制的剂量输送。通过这一提议，多学科的LhARA合作寻求资源：* 提供LhARA的概念设计报告，以服务于离子治疗研究设施; * 启动必要的研发计划，以证明通过测量和模拟激光驱动产生必要的质子和离子通量的可行性;* 通过初步的实验、模拟和设计方案，制定第二个哈柏透镜原型的详细规格;及 * 透过咨询、设计及模拟，为体外及体内终端站制订详细规格。拟议的两年计划将为ITRF建议书所确定的建造前阶段奠定基础。为ITRF服务，LhARA将是一个独特的，紧凑的研究基础设施。从根本上新的放射治疗和免疫反应，质子和离子束治疗的临床疗效的基础生物学机制将得到阐明。ITRF对LhARA的利用将促进所需的颠覆性技术，为临床实践的根本转变铺平道路。