Development of Novel Fast GPU Monte Carlo and Active Photonics Simulation Softwar

描述（由申请人提供）：光动力疗法（PDT）用于治疗包括癌症在内的各种疾病。即使经过多年的PDT研究和医生大规模使用PDT治疗，PDT的许多方面，如漫射光传播的定量预测和光-物质相互作用的动力学，仍未得到很好的理解。这可能导致治疗结果的巨大变化，特别是治疗的剂量学具有挑战性，难以确定最佳的激光能量和光敏剂（PS）浓度。在第一阶段SBIR中，Simphotek（主要机构），Tech-X（次级奖励机构）和宾夕法尼亚大学医学院，即宾夕法尼亚大学（次级奖励机构）将研究可行性

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is used for treating a variety of medical conditions including cancer. Even after many years of PDT research and the large-scale use of PDT treatments by physicians, there are many aspects of PDT, such as quantitative predictions for diffusive light propagation and the kinetics of the light-material interactions, that are not well understood. This can lead to a large variation in treatment results In particular, the dosimetry for treatments is challenging and it is difficult to determine the lasr light energies and the photosensitizer (PS) concentrations that are optimal. In this Phase I SBIR, Simphotek (prime institution), Tech-X (subaward institution) and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, i.e. UPenn (subaward institution) will investigate the feasibility of experimentally (UPenn) and computationally (Simphotek/Tech-X) guiding novel and easy-to-use mathematical and numerical methods for PDT. The software product(s) that result(s from the Phase I and Phase II SBIRs will be commercialized for PDT researchers, companies and medical personnel. This exploratory, yet crucial, project combines the knowledge of experts in several disciplines, including optics, mathematics and computer science (Simphotek), numerical algorithms for fast graphical processing units (GPUs) and Monte Carlo calculations (Tech-X) and medical physicists and translational biologists in PDT (UPenn). The commercialized software that results from the Phase I and Phase II SBIRs, will direct the resulting products to PS and PDT researchers and to PDT users worldwide.