| Project start date and duration: | 1st June 2025, 36 months | ||
| Coordinator: Jacco de Pooter, VSL B.V., E-Mail: jdpooter@vsl.nl Project website address: flash-dose.eu | |||
| Chief Stakeholder Organisation: AAPM (The American Association of Physicists in Medicine) | Chief Stakeholder Contact: Dimitris Mihailidis | ||
| Internal Beneficiaries: VSL, NetherlandsCEA, FranceCMI, CzechiaDTU, DenmarkENEA, ItalyGUM, PolandNPL, United KingdomPTB, Germany | External Beneficiaries: AU, DenmarkHPTC, NetherlandsUSC, Spain | ||
| Associated Partners: 10. METAS, Switzerland 11. PSI, Switzerland | |||
The consortium brings together the leading NMIs in the field of dosimetry for advanced radiotherapy (NPL, PTB, CEA, VSL, DTU, GUM, METAS, CMI, ENEA), academic centres working towards clinical introduction of FLASH radiotherapy based on proton (HPTC, AU, PSI) and electron beams (AU, USC).
VSL (coordinator) the NMI of the Netherlands has a long history in developing dosimetry standards based on water calorimetry. VSL contributed significantly to several national and international dosimetry CoPs and to national dosimetry audits. VSL has capabilities in deploying primary standards and other dosimetric techniques in a clinical setting, and expertise with Monte Carlo modelling of radiation transport for detector simulations.
CEA: is the French National Metrology Laboratory for ionising radiation, is responsible for metrology in both radioactivity and radiation dosimetry, with an interest in radiation protection, radiotherapy, medical radiology, environmental and industrial dosimetry. To establish Dw and air kerma references, CEA has built primary graphite-walled ionisation chambers, free air ionisation chambers, numerous graphite and water calorimeters and uses EGSnrc, MCNP and PENELOPE codes for Monte Carlo simulations.
CMI: the Czech NMI is responsible for the maintenance and dissemination of the national measurement standards including dosimetry standards for radiotherapy. CMI has experience in Monte Carlo simulations, including simulations of electron and proton beams and detector response and in the generation of impact activities, which is highly relevance to this project. Within this project CMI research activities include Monte Carlo simulations correction factors in electron and proton fields.
DTU: is the Technical University of Denmark with status as a DI within the field of ionising radiation. DTU carries out dosimetry research in close collaboration with industry and hospitals, including preclinical studies of FLASH radiotherapy. DTU has significant experience with dosimetry in radiation processing (high doses and dose rates), ionometry, fibre-coupled detectors, alanine, and graphite calorimetry. DTU operates a medical linear electron accelerator.
ENEA is a DI in Italy and operates in the field of dosimetry for diagnostics radiology, radiation protection, and radiation therapy including both computational and experimental dosimetry, with expertise in primary standards, calibrations, intercomparisons, and x-ray spectrometry for radiation dosimetry.
GUM is the Polish NMI and is responsible for the maintenance and dissemination of the national measurement standards including standards in the field of dosimetry. GUM conducts research on new measurement methods in the field of ionising radiation – optical calorimetry technique for radiation dosimetry. Within this project, GUM is mainly involved in Monte Carlo simulations of the beam and experimental validation of the Monte Carlo model and measurements of FLASH beams with graphite calorimetry.
NPL as the NMI of the UK, is responsible for the maintenance and dissemination of the UK’s national measurement standards including dosimetry standards for radiotherapy. NPL’s Radiotherapy and Radiation Dosimetry group will bring into the project its calibration capacities for dosimetry traceable to in-house primary standards using dedicated facilities such as Theratron and clinical linear accelerator. Within this project, NPL is involved in provision of traceable dosimetry for FLASH proton beams using solid-state calorimeters and provision of traceability routes for the UHDR proton facilities. This work will be supported by Monte Carlo modelling for the calculation of relevant correction and conversion factors.
PTB as the NMI of Germany operates a primary standard for dosimetry in radiotherapy based on water calorimetry and a dose rate independent secondary standard based on alanine which is used as reference for PTB’s ultra-high pulse dose rate reference electron beam for testing and calibrations of dosimetric equipment for FLASH radiotherapy. PTB is well experienced in the development and investigation of detectors and procedures for radiotherapy dosimetry as well as in Monte Carlo simulations for photon and electron radiation, as well as for electron radiation with UHDPP as present at FLASH radiotherapy with electrons.
AU: Aarhus University Hospital hosts both the Department of Oncology, which performs radiotherapy with photons and electrons as well as the Danish Centre for Particle Therapy (DCPT), which is the Danish national platform for research in particle therapy. At AU, UHDR of both electron (Department of Oncology) and proton (DCPT) beams are available, and research activities spans pre-clinical, experimental, translational and clinical research within radiation oncology, medical physics and radiobiology. Experimental studies using a proton FLASH research beam, and a research electron FLASH accelerator are performed at AU.
HPTC is one of the three proton therapy centres in the Netherlands. HPTC belongs to a research consortium of Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University Medical Center and Leiden University Medical Center, which provides an extensive track record in the field of dosimetry and radiotherapy. Its clinical experience translated in the research environment leads HPTC to cover different fields of expertise, going from protontherapy treatments and modalities, advanced technology for online dose verification, tumour motion and dosimetry assessment. The access FLASH dose rate in a dedicated R&D bunker and in clinical gantries, will be used by HPTC in this project.
USC is the University of Santiago de Compostela and its Radiation Physics Laboratory is accredited for dosimetry calibration in radiotherapy and has developed a portable graphite calorimeter for UHDR absolute dosimetry. It has a clinical linac used for animal and preclinical radiotherapy that includes an electron UHDR beam. USC has simulated, built and tested the first prototypes of ultra-thin ionisation chambers for FLASH radiotherapy and collaborates with company PTW in its development. The group also works in the development of SiC detectors for UHDR dosimetry and has significant expertise on Monte Carlo and FEM simulation of ionisation chamber recombination correction factors. USC will contribute to WP2 and WP4.
METAS is the NMI in Switzerland and has been developing primary standards in radiotherapy that are based on water calorimetry and Fricke dosimetry. METAS maintains a wide range of reference detectors for radiotherapy, and it operates a dedicated electron accelerator facility that was enhanced to produce reference beams used in FLASH radiotherapy. METAS works on the traceability of dose and dose rate measurement for electron beams used in FLASH radiotherapy. The associated partner METAS will be associated to all beneficiaries.PSI is the largest research institute for natural and engineering sciences within Switzerland. The Center for Proton Therapy (CPT) at PSI operates a 250 MeV cyclotron with a treatment room capable of delivering up to 9000 Gy/s proton pencil beams and participate in FLASH preclinical studies, FLASH clinical trials and FLASH dosimetry research. CPT pioneered proton pencil beam scanning and has significant expertise in proton therapy, medical physics and related research and development. The metrology division at PSI works with passive and active detectors, in particular related to proton dosimetry. The expertise in numerical modelling of ion track structures has led to several improvements related to calculation of both initial and general recombination in proton beams. The associated partner PSI will be associated to all beneficiaries.