Radiation Biology Updates: From Low Doses to Ultra-high Dose Rates. 15.12.2022, 15:00 (MSK)
Thursday, 15th December 2022 at 15:00 (MSK); Duration 1 hour
NEW: CME/CPD credit point shall be awarded for participation in the webinar in full.
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Organizer: M Mahesh, IOMP
Moderator: Eva Bezak, IOMP
Topic 1: Low dose simulation: perspectives in radiation protection
Speaker: Andrea Abril, Profesora Asistente, Departamento de Física, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Dr Abril is an Assistant Professor and Academic Coordinator for the Master of Medical Physics at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá-Colombia), and since 2022 she is an Assistant Professor (part-time ) at Universidad Nacional de Colombia. She taught subjects such as Advanced radiation physics, Radiobiology, and Numerical Methods for MP which enabled her to integrate her experience in MC simulations with the radiobiological concepts, relevant to imaging optimization. Before that, She held a postdoc position where the main objective was to set up the proof of concept of the development made her my Doctoral thesis (Dr.Sc Universidad Nacional de Colombia 2018 ); a Hybrid device gamma-MRI that integrates dosimetric gel as a gamma radiation detector, the methodologies wrere based on MC simulations.
Abstract:
Doses over 100 cGy have been reported to have evident and consistent biological effects that the patient safety and radiation protection limits are based on it. However, low dose effects are still misunderstood. The NCRP27 compiled relevant studies in which biological responses were reported, even though the effects are unrelated to each other.
The low reproducibility does not permit the determination of the effects observed in the risk models. The main recommendation to boost the knowledge barrier is to design specific experiments at low doses to reproduce the SF curves. DNA mechanistic simulations are a tool to perform in silico experiments under different doses and radiation conditions and to evaluate if they have considerable effects on the SF. These simulations can even distinguish the probability and specific damage reparation mechanism through the damage location to compare with biochemical in vitro assays.
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Topic 2: The state of ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) radiotherapy: the rapid developments of a rapid therapy
Speaker: Nolan Esplen, University of Victoria, Canada
Nolan Esplen is a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria (Victoria, BC, Canada). As a member of the UVic XCITE lab, Nolan’s active research interests pertain to the development of enabling technologies supporting delivery of novel preclinical modalities including spatially-fractionated and ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) radiotherapy. His recent work has found focus on physics and dosimetry within the context of ultra-high dose rate x-ray source development, including that of a megavoltage x-ray platform for FLASH radiobiological research at TRIUMF (Vancouver, BC). Nolan has been awarded a number of honors for his scientific contributions.
Abstract:
Renewed interest in the use of ultra-high dose rates (UHDR) in radiation therapy (RT) has been prompted by a growing body of literature supporting UHDR irradiation, or “FLASH”, as a means to reduce normal-tissue toxicity when compared to irradiation at conventional dose-rates. The potential for improved normal-tissue outcomes (i.e. FLASH effect), paired with isoeffective tumor control and the ability to freeze target motion, has thus made FLASH an attractive candidate for widening the therapeutic window in curative RT. However, while tissue-sparing effects have since been demonstrated across various animal models and radiation modalities (photons, electrons, protons), the radiobiological mechanisms which underlie the FLASH effect, and the beam parameters required to reproducibly elicit it, remain to be elucidated. Continuously updated knowledge has given rise to a number of competing or complementary mechanistic explanations and technologies for more accessible delivery and investigation into this exciting frontier. In this session, a general overview of FLASH radiobiological concepts and delivery techniques will be presented.
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