Speaker
Descrizione
Within the Tuscany Health Ecosystem, Work Package 1 of Spoke 1 was devoted to the development of innovative radiation sources for oncologic radiotherapy, with a specific focus on the production of laser-plasma accelerated Very High Energy Electron (VHEE) beams.
Laser-Plasma Acceleration (LPA) enables intrinsically compact accelerator architectures by exploiting extremely high accelerating gradients. These sources deliver ultra-short pulses characterized by extremely high instantaneous dose rates. Through repetition-rate optimization, they have the potential to achieve clinically relevant average dose rates, thereby supporting compatibility with the FLASH regime and opening new perspectives for the treatment of deep-seated tumors.
The activity was centered on comprehensive beam characterization, including charge measurement, energy spectrum reconstruction, and depth-dose distribution assessment. Dosimetric validation was carried out through dedicated experimental campaigns and complemented by Monte Carlo simulations to ensure accurate dose reconstruction.
The fully characterized VHEE beams were employed in in vitro radiobiology studies to investigate their biological effectiveness and to assess their therapeutic potential in comparison with conventional X-rays. This integrated approach bridged source development, beam diagnostics, and preclinical validation, paving the way toward the future clinical translation of laser-driven VHEE radiotherapy.
