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医学病症。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-材料相互作用的动力学，还没有得到很好的理解。这可能导致治疗结果的较大变化。特别是，治疗的剂量测定具有挑战性，并且难以确定最佳的激光能量和光敏剂（PS）浓度。在本阶段I SBIR中，Simphotek（主研究机构）、Tech-X（子研究机构）和宾夕法尼亚大学医学院（即UPenn）（子研究机构）将研究可行性 实验（UPenn）和计算（Simphotek/Tech-X）指导新的和易于使用的数学和数值方法的PDT。I期和II期SBIRs产生的软件产品将商业化，供PDT研究人员、公司和医务人员使用。这个探索性但至关重要的项目结合了多个学科专家的知识，包括光学，数学和计算机科学（Simphotek），快速图形处理单元（GPU）和蒙特卡罗计算（Tech-X）的数值算法以及PDT（UPenn）的医学物理学家和翻译生物学家。第一阶段和第二阶段SBIRs产生的商业化软件将指导全球PS和PDT研究人员以及PDT用户使用所产生的产品。

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.