Scientists at Sandia National Laboratory in Livermore are introducing a revolutionary method to deliver precise radiation therapy to cancer patients while minimizing collateral damage.
Scientists have developed a patch that stops damage to healthy tissue by detecting any stray radiation caused by body movement and stopping the dose delivered to the patient.
In a press release, Sandia Labs referred to the device as the Electronic Polymer Dosimeter for Radiation Therapy (EPDR). The device is a bandage-shaped polymer patch with electrodes and sensors that can detect and monitor the location and intensity of proton beams used to treat specific cancer tumors.
Electrodes sense the intensity and precise location of the beam in real time, stop the beam when it is far from the target, and record data to determine what tissue has been penetrated and how high it has reached.
Image Patch makes it easy to get the right size in the right place. Current systems stop the radiation when patient movement is detected, but they cannot tell how much radiation is lost or at what level.
"This is a very important need, especially for pediatric patients," Patrick Doty, one of the patch's developers, said in a news release. "Proton radiation therapy involves sending a high dose of radiation to a specific part of the body to break down and destroy tumor cells. Human mobility is a problem, especially when it comes to children.
He added that with daily radiation treatments that can last for several weeks, doctors sometimes have to take general anesthesia just to avoid movement and inappropriate radiation exposure.
The origin of the concept of radiation therapy
Doty and materials scientist Isaac Avina developed the patch after learning about the technology from his lab's nuclear detection work.
"It was not used elsewhere," Avina said in a statement. "It was invented here and designed to identify nuclear material signatures. "We want to see if we can use it for other applications, including cancer treatments, knowing that cancer treatments share similar signatures."
The technology is important for targeting specific cancers in areas that are particularly difficult for radiation therapy.
"Proton radiation therapy is the gold standard for treating certain types of cancer, but there are problems with targeted therapies, especially in small areas such as prostate cancer and brain cancer, and now we have a solution," said Avina.
Personal interest in missions
Avina explained that her own father fought cancer and learned a lot about cancer treatments and their often side effects.
"I wanted to find a way to support this whole process and I wanted to contribute, but I didn't know how," said Avina. "This became especially clear when I did research and spoke in clinics and learned what children suffer during this cancer treatment. "I realized there is a great need in this field of oncology and I wanted to help."
Sandia Labs says the team hopes the technology will soon improve the lives of cancer patients.
"For many years we knew we had an amazing body that could do what no one else could," Avina said. "We want to help other areas. "We found that it was an anti-cancer treatment."
What next
Sandia Labs is exploring how to share the technology with cancer centers and entrepreneurs. And he pointed out that some of the nation's major cancer centers are starting proton beam therapy trials.
The lab is looking for partners to bring the technology to other industries. Depending on the lab, it can be adapted to monitor radiation exposure in real time for military personnel and first responders, or identify chemical and biological exposure.