Carbon Nanotube X-Ray for in-vivo Cancer and Detection and Treatment

项目3：用于体内癌症检测的碳纳米管X射线 X射线在许多医疗应用中都是不可或缺的，包括癌症检测、表征和 治疗。然而，x射线管的基本设计并没有太大的变化：热离子 阴极被用来产生电子，这些电子撞击金属靶来产生X射线。它有几个 限制了X射线技术的有效性和进步的固有缺陷。 其中包括防止小型化的高阴极工作温度(~1000℃)和新颖的 可提高成像速度和精度的光源配置，高成像剂量会导致 辐射损伤，以及低时间和空间分辨率，这影响了 可以检测到特征。碳纳米管(CNT)基场发射x射线源具有 不仅有可能克服这些限制，而且还可能实现新的新型成像模式。 我们课题组的初步结果表明，碳纳米管x射线技术：(1)可以产生 具有高时间分辨率的可编程脉冲X射线波形，易于实现 同步/门控成像和时间傅里叶处理，以提高信噪比；(2)允许 新的源配置，如扫描多束X射线源以实现动态和高速 层析成像；(3)使X射线源小型化，使“芯片上的X射线”技术成为可能。 用于人和动物模型肿瘤成像和放射治疗的特定碳纳米管X射线技术 将开展研究。它将分三个阶段进行，包括技术开发， 评估，并过渡到临床使用。第一阶段集中发展：(1)碳纳米管领域 发射X射线源，特别是多束场发射X射线源 产生无机械运动的时空可编程扫描x射线；(2)时间 低剂量、高速度成像的傅里叶数字成像(TFDR)方法；(3)静态超快 用于小动物动态成像的微型计算机断层扫描(Micro-CT)扫描仪；(4)固定 用于人类乳腺癌成像的断层合成和CT系统；以及(5)一种新的微型RT (放射治疗)系统，可结合微型CT引导适形放射治疗 在小动物模型上进行癌症研究。在第二阶段，这些新技术将使用以下工具进行评估 幻影和动物模型，并将被用来研究特定的肺癌和结肠癌 北卡罗来纳大学开发的老鼠模型。在第三阶段，全功能和用户友好的原型将是 为临床和动物模型研究而构建

Project 3: Carbon Nanotube X-Ray for in-vivo Cancer Detection X-rays are indispensable in many medical applications including cancer detection, characterization and treatment. The basic design of the x-ray tube however has not changed significantly: a thermionic cathode is used to produce electrons which strike on a metal target to generate x-ray. It has several intrinsic drawbacks that have limited the effectiveness and advancements of the x-ray technologies. These include high cathode operating temperature (~1000¿C) which prevents miniaturization and novel source configurations that can increase imaging speed and accuracy, high imaging dose which causes radiation damage, and low temporal and spatial resolution which affects the size and accuracy of the features can be detected. Carbon nanotube (CNT) based field emission x-ray sources have the potential to not only overcome these limitations but also enable new novel imaging modalities. Preliminary results from our group have demonstrated that the CNT x-ray technology: (1) can generate programmable pulsed x-ray waveform with high temporal resolution which readily enables synchronized/gated imaging and temporal Fourier processing to increase signal/noise ratio; (2) allows novel source configurations such as scanning multi-beam x-ray sources for dynamic and high-speed tomographic imaging; (3) miniaturizes x-ray sources with the possibility of "x-ray on chip" technologies. Specific CNT x-ray technologies for cancer imaging and radiotherapy for humans and animal model research will be developed. It will be carried out in three phases including technology development, evaluation, and transition into clinical use. Phase 1 concentrates on the development of: (1) CNT field emission x-ray sources, in particular multi-beam field emission x-ray (MBFEX) sources that can generate spatial-temporal programmable scanning x-ray without mechanical motion; (2) temporal Fourier digital radiography (TFDR) method for low-dose and high-speed imaging; (3) stationary ultrafast micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanner for dynamic small animal imaging; (4) stationary tomosynthesis and CT systems for imaging of human breast cancer; and (5) a novel micro- RT (radiotherapy) system that can be combined with micro-CT for guided conformal radiotherapy for cancer research on small animal models. In Phase 2 these new technologies will be evaluated using phantoms and animal models and will be utilized to investigate lung and colon cancers in specific mouse models developed at UNC. In Phase 3, fully functional and user-friendly prototypes will be constructed for clinical and animal model research use