SBIR-STTR Award

A joint DOE-NCI workshop on ion beam therapy (January 2013, Bethesda, MD) has identified an ambitious set of technological developments needed to support a world-class treatment program for ion beam therapy. One important requirement is the ability to provide detectors that afford single-particle registration at high data rates with high degree of uniformity and minimal interference with the particle beam. This would allow performing proton or ion CT prior to treatment and 2D proton, ion radiography during treatment for integrated range verification, and beam diagnostics that have minimal interference with the primary beam. The final workshop report stated "A better method of determining the stopping power, be it through proton CT or other means, would greatly increase the accuracy of the treatment, particularly when 1 mm range precision is desired. This is an important area for further R&D. We propose to develop a novel detector type, the plasma panel sensor (PPS), for proton and ion particle detection and imaging. The PPS is an inherently digital, high gain, novel variant of micropattern gas detectors inspired by many operational and fabrication principles common to plasma display panels. The PPS is comprised of a dense array of small, plasma discharge, gas cells within a hermetically sealed glass panel, and is assembled from non-reactive, intrinsically radiation-hard materials such as glass substrates, metal electrodes and mostly inert gas mixtures. Our approach is to perform the following specific aims for this Phase I SBIR proposal: Specific Aim 1: Test the feasibility and mechanical stability of a thin-glass PPS embedded in an external envelope by building a small prototype. Specific Aim 2: Define specifications for imaging with and monitoring of charged particle beams based on clinical needs. Specific Aim 3: Evaluate potential system performance with GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations. Specific Aim 4: Develop design of a significantly higher resolution, larger area, thinner substrate Phase-II device based on the results achieved under Specific Aims 1-3

Public Health Relevance Statement:


Public Health Relevance:
Narrative Fast and thin large-area detectors are necessary for state-of-the-art ion beam therapy to provide the means for proton and ion CT and radiography and to verify beam quality. Our solution, the plasma panel sensor (PPS), provides an attractive option for large-area detectors to be used in several different applications in a future ion beam research and treatment facility.

Project Terms:
Area; attenuation; base; Cells; Ceramics; Charge; Clinical; cost; Data; design; Detection; detector; Development; Devices; Diagnostic; Diagnostic radiologic examination; digital; Dimensions; Educational workshop; Electrodes; Environment; foot; Funding; Future; Gases; Glass; Goals; Image; innovation; Ions; Joints; Mechanics; Metals; Methods; Monitor; Monte Carlo Method; Noble Gases; novel; Nuclear Physics; particle; particle beam; Performance; Phase; Physics; Plasma; programs; Property; Protons; prototype; public health relevance; Radiation; Radiation therapy; Refractory; Reporting; Research; research and development; Resolution; scale up; seal; sensor; simulation; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Solutions; System; Technology; Testing; Therapeutic; Thick; treatment program; Variant

A joint DOE-NCI workshop on ion beam therapy (January 2013, Bethesda, MD) identified an ambitious set of technology developments needed to support a world-class treatment program for ion beam therapy. One important requirement is the ability to provide detectors that afford single-particle registration at high data rates with hgh degree of uniformity and minimal interference with the particle beam. This would allow performing proton or ion CT prior to treatment and 2D proton/ion radiography during treatment for integrated range verification, along with beam diagnostics that have minimal interference with the primary beam. Current silicon detectors employed in first developments of proton imaging systems have major limitations in terms of maximum available detector size. Limitations also exist for currently used beam monitoring detectors that are not suitable for very fast response times at high beam intensities required for future clinical applications of particle beam scanning. We propose to develop a novel detector, the plasma panel sensor (PPS), that has the potential to remove all the barriers of existing detectors and should therefore allow particle beam radiation therapy to realize its fullest potential to be used in future clinical particle beam therapy centers. Fundamentally the proposed detectors should be inherently uniform and of low mass with fast response time. During Phase I we were successful manufacturing ultrathin-PPS glass substrates (i.e., 0.30, 0.20 and 0.026 mm thickness) with electrode pitches of 2.54 mm and 0.35 mm, corresponding to theoretical spatial resolutions of ~ 0.73 mm and 0.10 mm, respectively, as demonstrated with Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations. Sub-millimeter image resolution thus seems eminently achievable, and when combined with potentially high particle detection efficiencies could make these detectors the technology of choice for both imaging and beam monitoring sensors in the particle therapy treatment room. In this 36-month Phase II SBIR we propose to: (1) fabricate and test on a clinical beam line a series of progressively larger and higher resolution, ultrathin-PPS devices with 2D readout; (2) develop Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation models of the detector prototypes to assist in data analysis, device design refinement, and performance optimization; and (3) demonstrate that the ultrathin-PPS devices will meet the clinical requirements as summarized in our Phase-I Final Report. Meeting the target objectives of this SBIR Phase II will enable Integrated Sensors to generate the Phase III funds to produce a universal detector system that will improve both treatment efficacy and the safety of particle beam therapy with protons and ions.

Public Health Relevance Statement:


Public Health Relevance:
Fast and very thin large-area detectors are necessary to improve success and safety of particle beam therapy with protons and ions for the treatment of cancer. Integrated Sensors is developing such detectors based on plasma panel sensor (PPS) technology that will provide advanced, low cost, reliable particle beam detectors as an enabling technology for proton and ion imaging and fast pencil beam monitoring. This grant application requests funding for completion of Phase II of this technology development.

NIH Spending Category:
Bioengineering; Cancer; Radiation Oncology

Project Terms:
advanced simulation; Applications Grants; Area; base; cancer therapy; Cells; Clinical; clinical application; commercialization; cost; Data; Data Analyses; design; Detection; detector; Development; Device Designs; Devices; Diagnostic; Diagnostic radiologic examination; digital; Educational workshop; Electrodes; Electronics; Funding; Future; Gases; Glass; Goals; Image; imaging system; improved; Ions; Joints; meetings; Metals; Methods; millimeter; Modeling; Monitor; Monte Carlo Method; Noble Gases; novel; particle; particle beam; particle therapy; Performance; Phase; Plasma; programs; Property; proton beam; Protons; prototype; public health relevance; Radiation; Radiation therapy; Reaction Time; Refractory; Reporting; Request for Applications; research and development; Resolution; response; Safety; scale up; Scanning; sensor; Series; Silicon; simulation; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; success; System; Technology; technology development; Testing; Thick; Treatment Efficacy; treatment program; Variant