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UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST
FACULTY OF PHYSICS Guest
2024-11-22 2:30 |
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Conference: Bucharest University Faculty of Physics 2011 Meeting
Section: Nuclear and Elementary Particles Physics
Title:
A Neutron Activated Nanoparticles Facility for Brachytherapy
Authors:
L.S.Craciun (1),E.S.Barna (2), P.M.Racolita (1),I.Ursu (1), C.Ionescu (1), M.Straticiuc (1), A.T.Serban(1), I.Burducea(1)
Affiliation:
(1) Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, 30 Reactorului St., Magurele, Ilfov, 077125, Romania
(2) Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, 405 Atomistilor St., Magurele, Ilfov, 077125, Romania
E-mail
cliviu@nipne.ro
Keywords:
Medical isotopes, neutron activator, brachytherapy
Abstract:
The goal of this work is to design a cyclotron-driven neutron activator for the production of beta- emitting radioisotopes for brachytherapy. Brachytherapy is an advanced cancer treatment. Radioactive seeds or sources are placed in or near the tumor itself, giving a high radiation dose to the tumor while reducing the radiation exposure in the surrounding healthy tissues. Brachytherapy is radiation therapy given at a short distance: localized, precise, and high-tech.
The radioisotopes used in this technique are generated through high-flux neutron irradiation and at present can be efficiently produced only in nuclear reactors. This is a major limitation due to several factors, lack of availability of nuclear reactors for medical applications, heating typical of nuclear reactors the difficulty conditions of injectable preparations of nanoparticles suspensions to be irradiated.Starting from the Adiabatic Resonance Crossing concept proposed by C. Rubbia in 1998 (ARC patent), a few researcher groups have developed a compact cyclotron-driven neutron activator capable of efficiently activating injectable suspensions of nanoparticles. It was demonstrated that the ARC method is feasible when coupled with small sized cyclotrons currently used for PET isotopes production (16-19 MeV, 100 mA), and can be efficiently used to produce therapeutic doses of radiopharmaceuticals for brachytherapy. Such a cyclotron type a TR19 model able to produce up to 300 ľA proton beam with a variable energy in the range 14-19 MeV will be soon installed in IFIN-HH.
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