Development of In Vivo EPR Tooth Dosimetry for Use by Non-Expert Personnel

描述(由申请人提供)： 拟议项目的目的是确定开发技术和仪器的可行性，使以活体牙齿测量为基础的电子顺磁共振剂量测定能够达到可供外地非专家人员使用的状态，以应对大量人可能大量暴露于电离辐射的辐射事件。达特茅斯大学正在进行的研究已经证明了EPR牙齿剂量测量的安全性及其量化个人电离辐射暴露的能力。然而，目前使用的设备是典型的实验室设备，需要专业操作人员和复杂的、多步骤的测量和分析过程。此外，还没有对在现场条件下可能影响真实人群测量的变量进行系统研究，例如牙齿大小和形状、重大牙科工作的影响以及人口统计学差异(如年龄、性别、种族)。为了证明在实际现场条件下非专家用户使用EPR牙齿剂量测量的可行性，这项研究将：(I)开发自动化测量过程的硬件和软件解决方案；(Ii)开发关于个体差异影响的实验数据；以及(Iii)开发复杂的采样和建模技术来考虑个体差异。研究将与达特茅斯EPR中心合作进行，根据一项分包合同，达特茅斯公司独特的设备和经验将用于开发可用于解释个体差异的实验数据；就建模和软件开发以解决个体差异提供建议，包括测试由Clin-EPR开发的软件模型；就自动化和简化测量过程的硬件解决方案的开发提供咨询；并与Clin-EPR合作实施和测试这些硬件解决方案。实现这些目标将使该项目进入第二阶段，我们将生产一种功能齐全的原型仪器，其能力和程序将适合非专家操作员在现场条件下操作，以协助对可能暴露于临床上大量电离辐射的人群进行分类。然后，可以以适当的形式编制这种工具，以便广泛使用，以提高对大量个人可能受到辐射的事件作出反应的效力。公共卫生相关性：能够测量最近一次事故或恐怖事件现场人员的个人辐射暴露，将是应急响应系统有效应对大量人可能暴露于临床显著水平的电离辐射造成的医疗挑战的能力的重大改进。由于EPR牙齿剂量测定能够为个人提供事后剂量估计，通过确定哪些人不需要立即进入医疗保健系统，以及哪些人的适当和及时干预可以增加因辐射暴露而导致的发病率和死亡率降低的可能性，可以最有效地利用可用的医疗资产。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of the proposed project is to establish the feasibility of developing the techniques and the instrumentation that will enable EPR dosimetry, based on measurements of teeth in vivo, to be at a state where it can be used by non-expert personnel in the field in response to radiation events where large numbers of people have potentially had significant exposures to ionizing radiation. Ongoing studies at Dartmouth have demonstrated the safety of EPR tooth dosimetry and its ability to quantify individual exposures to ionizing radiation. However, the devices currently in use are typical of laboratory equipment, requiring expert operators and a complicated, multi-step measurement and analysis process. In addition there have not been systematic studies of variables that are likely to affect measurements in real populations under field conditions such as tooth size and shape, the impact of significant dental work, and demographic differences (such as age, gender, race). To show the feasibility of EPR tooth dosimetry with non-expert users under practical field conditions, the study will: (i) develop hardware and software solutions automating the measurement process; (ii) develop experimental data on the impact of individual differences; and (iii) develop sophisticated sampling and modeling techniques to account for individual differences. The studies will be carried out in collaboration with the Dartmouth EPR Center where, under a subcontract, the unique equipment and experience at Dartmouth will be used to develop experimental data that can be used to account for individual variations; advise on the development of modeling and software to account for individual variations, including testing software models developed by Clin-EPR; to consult on the development of hardware solutions for automating and simplifying measurement processes; and in conjunction with Clin-EPR to implement and test these hardware solutions. Achievement of these goals will enable a second phase of the project in which we will produce a fully functional prototype instrument with capabilities and procedures that will be suitable for operation under field conditions by non-expert operators to assist in the triage of populations that have potentially been exposed to clinically significant amounts of ionizing radiation. Such an instrument could then be prepared in an appropriate form for widespread use to enhance the effectiveness of responses to events in which large numbers of individuals have potentially been exposed to radiation. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The ability to measure individual radiation exposures of people at the site of a recent accident or terrorist event will be a major improvement in the capabilities of the emergency response system to react effectively to the medical challenges created by the potential exposure of large numbers of people to clinically significant levels of ionizing radiation. With the capability of EPR tooth dosimetry to provide after-the-fact estimates of doses to individuals, the medical assets available can be utilized most effectively by identifying those who do not need immediate entry into the health care system and those for whom appropriate and prompt intervention can increase the probability of reducing morbidity and mortality from the exposure to radiation.