FRIDA

FRIDA - FLASH Radiotherapy with hIgh Dose-rate particle beAms
(2022-2025)

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The “FLASH Radiotherapy with hIgh Dose-rate particle beAms” (FRIDA) project is a call project approved by the CSN5 of INFN for 2021-2023. FLASH radiotherapy is a novel investigated radiotherapy technique characterized by average dose rates >40 Gy/s instead of only a few Gy/min of conventional radiotherapy. Preclinical studies (in-vivo) have shown that the use of ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) beams may substantially improve normal tissue (NTCP) sparing (so-called FLASH effect) while maintaining high tumour control probability (TCP) compared to conventional dose-rate radiotherapy.

The FRIDA INFN project, that involves the INFN Catania Division among many INFN divisions and laboratories in Italy, addresses several challenges posed by Ultra High Dose Rate (UHDR) irradiations with electron and proton beams: from modeling the FLASH effect to the development of new accelerators able to provide UHDR beams, from studying detector technologies capable of sustaining UHDR to the implementation of simulation and optimized software tools for FLASH treatments planning in the future perspective of a clinical employment of the FLASH radiotherapy. One of the main goals of FRIDA is the development of alternative techniques and dosimeters able to maintain a linear response at ultra-high dose-rate (UHDR), as the ionization chambers, currently recommended as by dosimetric protocols for conventional radiotherapy reference dosimetry, suffer of not-negligible ion recombination effects. The INFN Catania Division is actively involved in this activity, in particular in developing and realizing new detectors for both UHDR beam monitoring and dosimetry.

REFERENCE

Favaudon et al., Sci Transl Med 6 (2014)

Vozenin et al., Clin Cancer Res 25 (2019) 35

Romano, F.; Bailat, C.; Jorge, P.G.; Lerch, M.L.F.; Darafsheh, A. Ultra-high dose rate dosimetry: Challenges and opportunities for FLASH radiation therapy. Medical physics 2022.

ACTIVITY WITH SILICON CARBIDE DETECTORS

A collaboration between the INFN Catania Division and the ST-lab startup (https://www.stlab.eu) has been recently established within the FRIDA INFN project for the realization of novel silicon carbide detectors (SiC) of different thicknesses (0.2-100 um) and active area (1-10 mm2). Experimental activities are currently on going with the main aim to demonstrate the dose-rate independence of such detectors with UHDR and their suitability for beam monitoring and dosimetry. A very good linearity of the detector has been recently demonstrated up to several Gy/pulse (correspondent to several MGy/s) and first results were published (F. Romano et al., Applied Physics 2023).

A comprehensive dosimetric study of the developed SiC detectors with UHDR low energy electron beams has been recently published in G. Milluzzo et al. 2024 where the linearity with the dose rate up to the maximum achievable instantaneous dose rate of 5.5 MGy/s was demonstrated.

Moreover, the possibility of measuring the instantaneous dose rate within each single pulse was demonstrated as partially published in C. Okpuwe at al., 2024

2D geometrical configurations are also under development to provide real-time measurements of the beam transversal profiles.

OUR PUBLICATIONS

G. Milluzzo et al., Comprehensive osimetric characterization of Silicon carbide detectors with UHDR electron beams for FLASH radiotherapy, Med Phys. 2024 May 21. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38772134.

C. Okpuwe et al 2024 JINST 19 C03064

Medina E.; Sangregorio E.; Crnjac A.; Romano F.; Milluzzo G.; Vignati A.; Jakšic M.; Calcagno L.; Camarda M. Radiation hardness study of Silicon Carbide sensors under high temperature proton beam irradiations. Micromachines 2022, 1, 0.

F. Romano, G. Milluzzo* et al., First characterization of novel Silicon Carbide detectors with ultra-high dose rate electron beams for FLASH radiotherapy, submitted to Applied Science *Corresponding author

A. Subiel and F. Romano, Recent developments in absolute dosimetry for FLASH radiotherapy. Br J Radiol. 2023 Jun 11:20220560

CALORIMETRY

Calorimeters are widely used in national measurement institutes around the world as primary standards of absorbed dose for conventional radiotherapy dosimetry. In the framework of the FLASH radiotherapy, due to their dose-rate independence and direct measure of the absorbed dose through the detection of the temperature increase of the core during the irradiation, calorimeters are also good candidates to become both primary standards and secondary standards under UHDR beams.

In the framework of a collaboration with the UK National Metrology Institute, the National Physical Laboratory, the INFN Catania division is characterizing a new dose rate independent portable calorimeter for electron and proton beams optimized for the absolute and reference dosimetry at ultra-high dose-rate. The portable calorimeter (scheme in the figure below, centre) mimics the external shape of a comercially available ionization chamber (figure below, left), to be easily used with already exisiting phantoms implemented in the clinical routine. The dose is measuread through a digital multi meter (DMM), connected to a Weathston bridge: the change in the resistance due to the temperature rise (for the released dose) is a direct measurement of the absorbed dose. The portable calorimeter is being tested with ultra-high dose rates and first results show a very good linearity in terms of dose and dose rate. This novel detector is an optimal candidate for reference dosimetry for FLASH radiotherapy.

TALKS/POSTERS/SEMINARS

Giuliana Milluzzo, Invited Talk “Technological challenges for dosimetry in FLASH radiotherapy”, INSIGHTS workshop, INnovative Systems In radiation therapy: breakthrouGHs novel detectors, Treatments and AI techniqueS, Pisa 18-20 Ottobre 2023
Francesco Romano, Invited Talk: “ Ultra-high dose rate dosimetry: Challenges and opportunities for FLASH radiation therapy”, 4th International Conference on Dosimetry and its Applications, Valencia 16-20 Ottobre 2023
Chinonso Okpuwe, Talk: “Silicon Carbide detectors for dosimetry and monitoring of ultra-high dose rate beams”, 16th Topical Seminar on Innovative Particle and Radiation Detectors (IPRD23), Siena 25-29 Settembre 2023
Francesco Romano, Invited Talk: “Silicon Carbide detectors for dosimetry and beam monitoring for FLASH radiotherapy, SSD20 - 20th International Conference on Solid State Dosimetry, Viareggio 17-22 Settembre 2023
Giuliana Milluzzo, Talk: “Reference dosimetry with a small portable graphite calorimeter for FLASH Radiotherapy”, SSD20 - 20th International Conference on Solid State Dosimetry, Viareggio 17-22 Settembre 2023
Francesco Romano, Invited Talk: “Instrumentation for FLASH Radiotherapy”, Invited talk, 24th International Workshops on Radiation Imaging Detectors (IWORID), Oslo 25-29 Giugno 2023
Francesco Romano, Invited Talk: “Detectors for beam monitoring and dosimetry at ultra-high dose rates for FLASH Radiotherapy”, High Precision X-ray Measurements 2023, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, 19-23 Giugno 2023,
Francesco Romano, Poster: “Novel silicon carbide detectors for relative dosimetry in proton FLASH radiotherapy”, Particle Therapy Cooperative Group (PTCOG), Madrid 11-16 Giugno 2023 (Poster presentation)
Giuliana Milluzzo, Talk: “Dosimetry and monitoring of UHDR beams with silicon carbide detectors for FLASH radiotherapy”, Congresso Nazionale AIFM, 8-11 Giugno 2023
Giuliana Milluzzo, Talk: “A small portable prototype secondary standard calorimeter for FLASH Radiotherapy reference dosimetry with UHDR beams ”, Congresso Nazionale AIFM, 8-11 Giugno 2023
Francesco Romano, Corso di aggiornamento: ”Flash therapy: stato dell’arte e prospettive future”, Congresso Nazionale AIFM, 8-11 Giugno 2023
Giuliana Milluzzo, Talk: “Silicon carbide detectors for dosimetry and monitoring of UHDR beams for FLASH radiotherapy ” The European SocieTy for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), Vienna 12-16 Maggio 2023
Francesco Romano, Invited talk : “Dosimetry for FLASH radiotherapy: challenges and recent developments” The European SocieTy for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), Vienna 12-16 Maggio 2023
Francesco Romano - Invited talk at the Mini- Micro- Nano- Dosimetry (MMND) Conference: “Challenges and recent developments in dosimetry for FLASH radiotherapy”, Noosa (Australia), February 2023.
Giuliana Milluzzo - E-Poster discussion : “Characterization of novel ultra-thin Silicon Carbide detectors with ultra-high dose rate electron beams for FLASH radiotherapy”, Flash Radiotherapy and Particle Therapy (FPRT), Barcellona, 30 November-2 December 2022
Giuliana Milluzzo - Talk: “Silicon carbide detectors for dosimetry of laser-driven proton beams”: Joint ELI User Meeting, Praga 2-4 November 2022
Giuliana Milluzzo - Talk: “Monte Carlo-based benchmark of a method for proton energy spectra reconstruction using radiochromic films”, IV Geant4 International User Conference at the physics medicine biology frontier, Napoli 24-26 Ottobre 2022
Francesco Romano - Invited lecture at the Scuola Caldirola of the Italian Association of Medical Physics (AIFM) on FLASH Radiotherapy, radiobiologia, prospettive cliniche, aspetti tecnologici e dosimetrici: “Dosimetria di riferimento per fasci FLASH”, Pisa (Italy), September 2022.
Francesco Romano - Invited talk at the European Radiation Research Society (ERRS): “Dosimetry for FLASH radiotherapy: challenges and recent developments”, Catania (Italy), September 2022
Giuliana Milluzzo - Poster: “Challenges and opportunities of ultra-high dose rate dosimetry for FLASH radiotherapy”, 47th Annual meeting of the European Radiation Research Society (ERRS), 21-24 Settembre 2022
Francesco Romano - Invited seminar: “Dosimetry of ultra-high dose rate beams: challenges and opportunities for FLASH radiotherapy”, University of Pisa, (Italy), May 2022

THESIS OPPORTUNITIES

Bachelor and master degree thesis are avalilable on this topic. The students will have the opportunity to work with the Researchers of the INFN Catania Division involved in this activity, working in a stimulating environment. They will be fully supported during their thesis project, actively participating to the experimental activities planned at national and international laboratories. The possibility to carry out part of the project abroad at Research groups collaborating with INFN Catania Division is also envisaged.

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MASTER DEGREE AND PHD THESIS

Riccardo Guerrera: "Reference dosimetry of UHDR beams with a novel graphite calorimeter for FLASH radiotherapy", (Master Degree thesis, October 2024)
Damiano Zitelli: "DESIGN AND REALIZATION OF AN INCAPSULATED WATER-PROOF SILICON CARBIDE DETECTOR FOR REFERENCE DOSIMETRY", (Master Degree thesis, in-progress)
Chinonso Opkuwe: "DOSIMETRY AND MONITORING OF ULTRA-HIGH DOSE RATE BEAMS WITH NOVEL DETECTORS FOR FLASH RADIOTHERAPY." (PhD thesis, in-progress)
Gabriele Trovato: "DEVELOPMENT, FABRICATION, AND VALIDATION OF SILICON CARBIDE BASED SENSORS FOR FLASH RADIOTHERAPY, PARTICLE DETECTION AND BEAM MONITORING." (PhD thesis, in-progress)
Chinonso Opkuwe: "CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL DETECTORS FOR DOSIMETRY AND MONITORING OF ULTRA-HIGH DOSE RATE BEAMS FOR FLASH RADIOTHERAPY" (Master Degree thesis - July 2023)