Research database

The HONEY project aims at developing innovative hybrid technology able to significantly improve both beam monitoring and online treatment verification in Charged Particle Therapy (CPT). CPT is considered the most advanced radiotherapy method in oncology. Thanks to the favourable depth dose deposition for charged particles and the enhanced radiobiological effectiveness for heavier ions, CPT is highly effective in reducing toxicity, lowering secondary malignancy risk and increasing tumor local control. To fully exploit its potential, the beam parameters and the particle range inside the patient must be thoroughly monitored. So, there is an urgent need for technological improvements to overcome current limitations and implement better treatment optimization and new emerging modalities. The HONEY final goal is to develop and build a new hybrid prototype, integrating beam monitoring and treatment verification devices by means of high performance data acquisition and online analysis. Beam monitoring detectors based on Ultra Fast Silicon Detectors (UFSD) will provide an excellent time resolution at therapeutic rates, necessary to improve in-vivo verification techniques by exploiting the particle time measurements. Moreover, beam shape and position will be precisely assessed. Scintillating crystals coupled to Silicon PhotoMultiplier (SiPM) will exploit the secondary particles produced by the interaction between the primary beam and human tissues to develop a hybrid in-vivo treatment verification system. Both annihilation photons from positron emitters (in-beam Positron Emission Tomography (PET) modality) and nuclear de-excitation photons (multi-detector Prompt Gamma Timing (PGT) modality) will be collected within the same detector and integrated with the information of the primary particle transit time, measured by UFSD. A highly performing Data AcQuisition (DAQ) system based on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) will be developed to assure data synchronization between the detectors, particle identification (PET or PGT signals), triggering and optimized data buffering, so as to guarantee the straightforward application of HONEY findings in a clinical environment. Innovative image reconstruction algorithms and data analysis methods will be developed to provide the necessary feedback to physicians. Their effectiveness will be tested in clinical situations, gathering the information required to design new paradigms for in-vivo treatment verification.