Radioactive glass source

• US 9,165,692 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2014
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IP Liberty Vision Corporation
• Original Assignee: IP Liberty Vision Corporation
• Inventors: Finger, Paul T., Welles, Toby
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells, Nikita
• Application Number:
  US14/243,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20150102238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 250/339.06, 250/493.1, 250/503.1, 250/505.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1019 Sources therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1094 Shielding, protecting against radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/10 X-ray therapy; Gamma-ray therapy; Particle-irradiation therapy A61N5/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1001 using radiation sources introduced into or applied onto the body; brachytherapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1028 using radiation sources applied onto the body
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 3/00 Shielding characterised by its physical form, e.g. granules, or shape of the material
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 5/015 for storing radioactive sources, e.g. source carriers for irradiation units; Radioisotope containers
• CPC Class Codes: G21G 4/00 Radioactive sources producing neutrons or other subatomic particles, X- or gamma rays, in fusion reactors G21B, in nuclear reactors G21C, by cosmic radiation G21H7/00, in accelerators H05H; X-ray tubes H01J35/00; gamma masers H01S4/00
• CPC Class Codes: G21G 4/06 characterised by constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: G21G 4/08 specially adapted for medical application radiation therapy using radioactive sources A61N5/10

Abstract

A glass radiation-source with customized geometries to maximize receipt of radiation into treatment areas that is formed from either neutron-activated glass, radioisotopes molecularly bonded to glass, or radioisotopes encased within glass.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a radiation-source comprising:

obtaining image data of a treatment area, the image data including surface geometry and shape data;

forming a glass radiation-source, constructed from neutron-activated glass, in accordance with the image data; and

causing the glass radiation-source to emit radiation.

2. The method of claim of claim 1, wherein the glass radiation-source has a shape substantially matching at least a portion the shape of the treatment areas so as to minimize radiation in non-treatment area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the radiation is selected from the group consisting of alpha particles, beta minus and beta plus particles, Auger electrons, gamma-rays, and x-rays.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the glass radiation-source is constructed from neutron-activated glass selected from the group consisting of yttrium aluminosilicate, magnesium aluminosilicateholmium-166, erbium-169, dysprosium-165, rhenium-186, rhenium-188, and yttrium-90.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the glass radiation-source is implemented as a radioisotope encased in an encasement constructed from a material selected from the group consisting of glass forming material, metallic material, and polymeric material.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the radioisotope is selected from the group consisting of ⁸⁹Sr, ⁹⁰Sr, ¹⁶⁹Yb, ³²P, ³³P, ⁹⁰Y, ¹⁹²Ir, ²⁵I, ¹³¹I, ¹⁰³Pd, ¹⁷⁷Lu, ¹⁴⁹Pm, ¹⁴⁰La, ¹⁵³Sm, ¹⁸⁶Re, ¹⁶⁶Ho, ¹⁶⁶Dy, ¹³⁷C, ⁵⁷Co, ¹⁶⁹Er, ¹⁶⁵Dy, ⁹⁷Ru, ^193mPt, ^195mPt, ¹⁰⁵Rh, ⁶⁸Ni, ⁶⁷Cu, ⁶⁴Cu, ¹⁰⁹Cd, ¹¹¹Ag, ¹⁹⁸Au, ¹⁹⁹Au, ²⁰¹Tl, ¹⁷⁵Yb, ⁴⁷Sc, ¹⁵⁹Gd, ²¹²Bi, and ⁷⁷As.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the radioisotope is implemented as a particulate radioisotope.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the radioisotope includes neutron-activated glass.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the neutron-activated glass is selected from the group consisting of aluminosilicate, magnesium aluminosilicate, and potassium aluminogermanate containing samarium-153, holmium-166, erbium-169, dysprosium-165, rhenium-186, rhenium-188, and yttrium-90.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of adding a radiation shielding layer from a shield material so as to form an at least partially shielded glass, radiation-source.

11. A composite radiation-source comprising:

a glass radiation-source, constructed from neutron-activated glass; and

a shielding material connected to at least part of the glass radiation-source.

12. The composite radiation-source of claim 11, wherein the glass radiation-source is constructed from neutron-activated glass selected from the group consisting of yttrium aluminosilicate, magnesium alumino silicateholmium-166, erbium-169, dysprosium-165, rhenium-186, rhenium-188, and yttrium-90.

13. The composite radiation-source of claim 11, wherein the glass radiation-source is implemented as a radioisotope encased in an encasement, the encasement constructed from a material selected from the group consisting of glass forming material, metallic material, and polymeric material.

14. The composite radiation-source of claim 13, wherein the radioisotope is selected from the group consisting of ⁸⁹Sr, ⁹⁰Sr, ¹⁶⁹Yb, ³²P, ³³P, ⁹⁰Y, ¹⁹²Ir, ²⁵I, ¹³¹I, ¹⁰³Pd, ¹⁷⁷Lu, ¹⁴⁹Pm, ¹⁴⁰La, ¹⁵⁴S, ¹⁸⁶Re, ¹⁸⁸Re, ¹⁶⁶Ho, ¹⁶⁶Dy, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁵⁷Co, ¹⁶⁹Er, ¹⁶⁵Dy, ⁹⁷Ru, ^193mPt, ^195mPt, ¹⁰⁵Rh, ⁶⁸Ni, ⁶⁷Cu, ⁶⁴Cu, ¹⁰⁹Cd, ¹¹¹Ag, ¹⁹⁸Au, ¹⁹⁹Au, ²⁰¹Tl, ¹⁷⁵Yb, ⁴⁷Sc, ¹⁵⁹Gd, ²¹²Bi, and ⁷⁷As.

15. The composite radiation-source of claim 14, wherein the radioisotope is implemented as a particulate radioisotope.

16. The composite radiation-source of claim 15, wherein the particulate radioisotope includes neutron-activated glass.

17. The composite radiation-source of claim 16, wherein the neutron-activated glass is selected from the group consisting of aluminosilicate, magnesium aluminosilicate, and potassium aluminogermanate containing samarium-153, holmium-166, erbium-169, dysprosium-165, rhenium-186, rhenium-188, and yttrium-90.