Phantom for the experimental in-vitro validation of radiation procedures under the influence of motion, taking into account the biological effective dose

• US 20110027853A1
• Filed: 07/29/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GSI Helmholtzzentrum FüR Schwerionenforschung GmbH (Government of Germany)
• Original Assignee: GSI Helmholtzzentrum FüR Schwerionenforschung GmbH (Government of Germany)
• Inventors: Rietzel, Eike, Gemmel, Alexander, Bert, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 8,859,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/173.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1072 taking into account movement of the target
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1076 using a dummy object placed in the radiation field, e.g. phantom
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1048 Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods

Abstract

A phantom device for in-vitro validation of radiation procedures under motion influence in consideration of an effective biological dose includes a phantom having a first biological detector with a first biological sample. The first biological sample includes a plurality of culturing and irradiation elements. Each of the culturing and irradiation elements are provided with a respective biological sub-sample so that the first biological detector is configured as a spatially resolving biological detector. A first motion device is configured to move the first biological detector so as to simulate a motion of a target volume.

Claims

1-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A phantom device for experimental in-vitro validation of radiation procedures under motion influence in consideration of a relative biological effectiveness-weighted dose, the phantom device comprising:

a phantom having a first biological detector with a first biological sample including a plurality of culturing and irradiation elements, each of the elements being provided with a respective biological sub-sample so that the first biological detector is configured as a spatially resolving biological detector; and

a first motion device configured to move the first biological detector so as to simulate a motion of a target volume.

31. The phantom device according to claim 30, further comprising a transversally non-homogeneous first absorber disposed on a beam-upstream side from the first biological detector and a second motion device configured to move the first absorber independently of the first biological detector.

32. The phantom device according to claim 31, wherein the first and second motion devices are configured to move the first biological detector and the first absorber in different directions.

33. The phantom device according to claim 31, wherein the first absorber includes a plurality of areas having a higher beam absorption capacity between which a material having a lower beam absorption capacity is disposed.

34. The phantom device according to claim 31, further comprising a second biological detector and a third motion device configured to move the second biological detector.

35. The phantom device according to claim 34, wherein the first and third motion devices are configured to independently move the first and second biological detectors, respectively, relative to each other.

36. The phantom device according to claim 35, further comprising a second transversal non-homogeneous absorber and a fourth motion device configured to move the second absorber, wherein the first absorber, the first biological detector, the second absorber and the second biological detector are arranged in sequence.

37. The phantom device according to claim 30, further comprising a rotation device configured to rotate the phantom around an axis transversely to a direction of a beam from a particle-therapy accelerator.

38. The phantom device according to claim 31, further comprising an additional absorber and an additional motion device configured to move the additional absorber, the additional absorber being disposed on a side of the first biological detector opposite from the first absorber so that the first biological detector is disposed between the first absorber and the additional absorber in a direction of a beam from a particle-therapy accelerator.

39. The phantom device according to claim 30, wherein the first biological sample is configured as a first microtiter plate and the culturing and irradiation elements include a plurality of wells.

40. The phantom device according to claim 39, wherein the first biological detector includes a first container for fluid configured to receive the first microtiter plate so that the first microtiter plate is surrounded on both sides by the fluid when the container is filled.

41. The phantom device according to claim 40, wherein the first microtiter plate is not closed when it is placed into the first container.

42. The phantom device according to claim 40, further comprising a second biological sample configured as a second microtiter plate, the first container being configured to receive the first and second microtiter plates in parallel so that the first biological detector has a spatial resolution in a longitudinal direction.

43. The phantom device according to claim 30, further comprising a motion sensor configured to measure motion of the phantom and a control device configured to provide motion-compensated irradiation of the phantom for a particle-therapy accelerator.

44. The phantom device according to claim 30, wherein the radiation procedures are therapeutic radiation procedures using a particle-therapy accelerator.

45. A method for experimental in-vitro validation of radiation procedures under motion influence in consideration of a relative biological effectiveness-weighted dose using a phantom device, the method comprising:

positioning a phantom temporarily at a patient radiation site, the phantom having a first biological detector with a first biological sample including a plurality of culturing and irradiation elements, each of the elements being provided with a respective biological cell culture so that the first biological detector is configured as a spatially resolving biological detector;

irradiating the phantom at the patient radiation site;

moving the first biological detector during the irradiating so as to simulate a motion of a target volume;

determining, after the irradiating, a respective survival rate for each of the biological cell cultures; and

verifying, based on the survival rates, an algorithm for calculating an effective biological dose of a particle-therapy accelerator.

46. The method according to claim 45, wherein the irradiating is carried out with a beam from the particle-therapy accelerator by a scan method using the phantom, and includes recording the motion of the first biological detector, a beam position and a number of beam particles in a time-resolved manner, wherein doses of the beam are determined separately for each of the culturing and irradiation elements by evaluating the beam position and the number of beam particles with respect to the motion of the first biological detector.

47. The method according to claim 45, wherein the irradiating is carried out in a motion-compensated manner.

48. The method according to claim 47, wherein a motion of the first biological detector is measured using a motion sensor, acquired motion data of the first biological detector being used to carry out the motion-compensated manner of irradiating, and wherein doses of the beam are determined separately for each of the culturing and irradiation elements by evaluating a beam position and a number of beam particles with respect to the measured motion of the first biological detector.

49. The method according to claim 45, further comprising determining a relative biological effectiveness-weighted dose separately for each of the culturing and irradiation elements.

50. The method according to claim 45, wherein a beam performing the irradiating is moved transversally in a scanning movement so as to scan the phantom, and wherein the moving of the first biological detector is performed transversally so as to obtain a superimposition of the scanning movement of the beam and of the motion of the first biological detector in the transversal direction.

51. The method according to claim 45, wherein a beam performing the irradiating is moved two-dimensionally transversally in a scanning movement so as to scan the phantom, and wherein the moving of the first biological detector is performed two-dimensionally transversally so as to obtain a superimposition of the scanning movement of the beam and of the motion of the first biological detector in both transversal directions.

52. The method according to claim 45, wherein the irradiating of the phantom is performed by a beam of a particle-therapy accelerator which provides energy modulation for the beam and also independently provides another change in penetration depth of the beam through a variation in energy of the beam, wherein a transversally non-homogeneous absorber of the phantom is moved transversally in a beam-upstream direction from the first biological sample.

53. The method according to claim 45, wherein the radiation procedures are therapeutic radiation procedures using the particle-therapy accelerator.

54. A phantom for experimental in-vitro validation of radiation procedures under motion influence in consideration of an effective biological dose, the phantom comprising:

a first biological detector configured as a plate having a first biological sample, the first biological sample including a plurality of culturing and irradiation elements configured as well-shaped indentations, each of the well-shaped indentations being provided with a respective biological sub-sample and having a surface adapted for growing the biological sub-samples adherently therein.

55. The phantom according to claim 54, wherein the first biological sample includes a first microtiter plate and the first biological detector includes a first container for fluid configured to removably receive the first microtiter plate so that the first microtiter plate is surrounded on both sides by fluid when the first container is filled.

56. The phantom according to claim 55, wherein the first microtiter plate is not closed when received by the first container.

57. The phantom according to claim 55, wherein the first biological detector includes a second microtiter plate, and wherein the first container is configured to removably receive the first and second microtiter plates in parallel one after the other.

58. The phantom according to claim 55, further comprising a second biological detector having a second container for fluid configured to removably receive another microtiter plate, the first and second containers being arranged in sequence.

59. The phantom according to claim 58, wherein the first and second biological detectors include biological sub-samples from different cell systems.

60. The phantom according to claim 58, further comprising a transversally non-homogeneous first absorber disposed before the first biological detector and a transversally non-homogeneous second absorber disposed before the second biological detector so that the first absorber, the first biological detector, the second absorber and the second biological detector are arranged in sequence in a direction of a beam for the radiation procedures.

61. The phantom according to claim 54, wherein the radiation procedures are therapeutic radiation procedures using a particle-therapy accelerator and the biological sub-samples are biological cell cultures.