DEVELOPMENT OF A MICRORT SYSTEM

该项目的总体目标是开发新型共形小动物辐照器， 适合于研究辐射反应的遗传标记和放射生物学模型 治疗剂量水平。功能成像领域发生了一场革命，它已经 与小型动物成像设备的发展不谋而合，包括微型CT， MicroMRI和microSPECT。许多购买了这些设备的机构 利用它们来研究分子标记在诊断、检测和 癌症的特征。这些研究的一个重要组成部分是对 对治疗性剂量的辐射的反应；然而，动物辐射技术 是粗糙的，使得原位肿瘤和正常器官的可重复照射变得困难。我们 我设计了一种图像引导的小动物照射器(MicroRT)，它将提供 为大鼠和小鼠定制的共形剂量分布是高效的， 精确定位，精确剂量测定，适形治疗计划， 支持定量分子成像研究和放射生物学实验。这个 该系统基于商业上可用的高空间分辨率正压x射线。 辐射器和辐射束的传输将由计算机控制和自动化。 车载锥束CT成像将用于帮助治疗计划者优化 辐射束治疗计划。其中一个子目标是设计微放射治疗单元，以 高效地提高产量，从而使治疗计划和交付过程 将与同时进行的成像、治疗计划和剂量传递交织在一起。我们的 第一个目标(SA1)是使用现有设计建造辐照器。第二个目标(SA2) 是验证SA1中内置的单元是否符合现有的规格。成功者 这些具体目标的完成将开辟临床前显微成像指导的新领域 对小动物的放射生物学调查。

The overall aim of this project is to develop novel conformal small-animal irradiator, suitable for studying genetic markers of radiation response and radiobiological models at therapeutic dose levels. There has been a revolution in functional imaging that has coincided with the development of small animal imaging devices, including microCT, microMRI, and microSPECT. Many of the institutions that have acquired these devices use them to study the efficacy of molecular markers for the diagnosis, detection, and characterization of cancer. An important component of these studies is the evaluation of response to therapeutic doses of radiation; however, the technology of animal irradiation is crude, making reproducible irradiation of in situ tumors and normal organs difficult. We have designed an image-guided small animal irradiator (microRT) that will deliver customized, conformal dose distributions to rats and mice that are highly efficient, accurately localized, with accurate dosimetry, and conformal therapy treatment planning, to support quantitative molecular imaging studies and radiobiological experiments. The system is based on a commercially available high spatial resolution orthovoltage x-ray irradiator and the radiation beam delivery will be computer controlled and automated. On-board cone-beam CT imaging will be used to aid the treatment planner in optimizing the radiation beam treatment plan. One of the sub-goals is to design the microRT unit to be highly efficient to improve throughput, so the treatment planning and delivery process will be interleaved with concurrent imaging, treatment planning, and dose delivery. Our first aim (SA1) is to build the irradiator using the existing design. The second aim (SA2) is to validate that the unit built in SA1 meets the existing specifications. The successful completion of these specific aims will open a new field of preclinical micro imagingguided radiobiology investigations on small animals.