Reconfigurable Energy-Shaping Device for Conformal Particle Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current charged particle therapy systems are not adaptable for reuse or reconfiguration across different patients or irradiation fields, limiting their ability to achieve precise 3D conformal irradiation and efficient delivery of Spread-Out Bragg Peaks (SOBPs) with a single main beam direction.
Innovation Solution
A therapy system featuring an energy-shaping device with pre-defined groups of energy-shaping elements, each comprising individual layers of fluid or solid material, adjustable by a control unit to deliver specific particle energy distributions, allowing for reusable and reconfigurable SOBP generation across various 3D regions of the target volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a bespoke energy modulator is designed for a specific patient and field, then the SOBP delivery precision is improved, but the device cannot be reused for other patients or beam orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The energy modulator is divided into multiple independently adjustable energy-shaping elements (ridges) that can be individually positioned and configured. This segmentation allows the device to be adapted to different patient anatomies and treatment fields while maintaining precise SOBP delivery for each specific configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The energy-shaping elements are made dynamically adjustable during treatment, allowing real-time reconfiguration of the modulator geometry. This dynamic capability enables the same device to deliver patient-specific SOBPs for multiple different patients and beam orientations without requiring bespoke manufacturing for each case.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple beam directions are used to deliver SOBPs to different 3D regions, then the dose distribution conformity is improved, but the treatment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The energy modulator enables dynamic adjustment of ridge positions and heights during a single beam irradiation, allowing the SOBP to be reshaped in real-time as the beam scans across different 3D regions. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple beam directions, maintaining high dose conformity while significantly reducing treatment time.
Solution Approach 2:
The modulator maintains continuous SOBP delivery across the entire target volume during a single uninterrupted beam irradiation. By dynamically adapting the energy shaping throughout the scan, the system delivers conformal dose to all 3D regions without interruption or time loss associated with reconfiguring between separate beam directions.
3Device complexity
If a fixed energy modulator geometry is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to achieve 3D conformal irradiation is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The modulator consists of multiple discrete energy-shaping elements rather than a monolithic structure. This segmentation provides the simplicity of modular components that can be independently adjusted, achieving 3D conformal irradiation through coordinated positioning of simple individual elements rather than requiring a complex fixed geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamically adjustable elements with relatively simple individual structures. Each energy-shaping element has a straightforward geometry that can be independently repositioned and reconfigured, achieving complex 3D dose conformity through dynamic coordination of multiple simple components rather than a single complex fixed structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables better compliance with desired 3D dose distributions, facilitating faster and more accurate conformal irradiation with improved irradiation conformity to both distal and proximal edges of the target volume, while reducing treatment time and increasing degrees of freedom for dose delivery.
Implementation Method 1
When charged particles pass through such a damping element, a specific distribution of particle energies is generated at the output of the damping element
Implementation Method 2
a charged particle beam generator, a beam transport system for transporting the charged particle beam
Implementation Method 3
Their function is to destroy unhealthy cells in a particular 3D region (hereafter 'the target volume') of a living being (hereafter 'the patient') by irradiating the target volume with a beam of charged particles
Data Source
AI summary
A particle therapy system that is adapted to irradiate a target volume (1) with charged particles in compliance with a desired 3-D dose distribution. Such a desired 3-D dose distribution is achieved while delivering a plurality of particle energy distributions at the output of an energy-shaping device (10) crossed by an incident mono-energetic charged particle beam (6). The energy-shaping device comprises a plurality of groups (12, 22) of energy-shaping elements (11, 21), each of them comprising an individual layer of fluid or solid material (13), which thickness is adapted individually by a control unit (14). The use of configurable layers of fluids or solid materials makes the energy-shaping device reusable for treating different patients.