Speaker
Descrizione
Ultrahigh-intensity laser systems now enable the generation of particle beams with instantaneous dose rates reaching 10⁷–10¹² Gy/s and pulse durations down to the femtosecond regime. The Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) is emerging as a unique open-access platform where such laser-driven protons, ions, electrons, and neutrons can be systematically investigated for radiobiology and medical applications.
These sources provide unprecedented experimental conditions to probe radiation–matter interactions at ultrafast timescales and extreme dose rates, offering potential insights into radiochemical dynamics, DNA damage formation, and FLASH-like biological effects. However, realizing their therapeutic relevance requires rigorous dosimetry, standardized irradiation protocols, and reproducible biological models across facilities.
We present a coordinated roadmap for advancing ultrafast laser-driven radiation biology at ELI [1]. The strategy integrates cross-facility harmonization, dedicated instrumentation development, and structured collaboration between laser physicists, radiation biologists, medical physicists, and clinicians. Preparatory experiments at users’ home laboratories and systematic benchmarking are identified as essential steps toward clinical validation.
By consolidating infrastructure, methodology, and interdisciplinary collaboration, ELI aims to provide the scientific foundation necessary to evaluate and potentially translate ultrafast laser-driven radiation into next-generation therapeutic modalities.
