Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development
Health: A new generation of nuclear trace detectors in the fight against cancer
A new generation of nuclear trace detectors to be used in the fight against cancer was presented by ENEA on the occasion of the International Day of Light (16 May), proclaimed by UNESCO to mark the anniversary of the creation of the world's first laser in 1960.
'The current century is the century of photonics and light-based technologies, i.e. lasers, optical sensors and new radiation detectors for imaging and clinical dosimetry, all innovations that are now ripe to help address the global challenges of human health,' explains Rosa Maria Montereali, head of ENEA's Micro and Nanostructures Laboratory for Photonics.
The novelty of these solid-state detectors is that they exclusively use visible light and lasers to measure the exact amount of clinical doses administered in radiotherapy to treat tumours near delicate organs such as the brain or eye.
"The detection of nuclear traces is based on reading the photoluminescence induced in a salt crystal, lithium fluoride, by the passage of charged particles used in Hadrontherapy, an innovative type of radiotherapy, whose main advantage over more traditional X-rays is to target and destroy the tumour mass in a targeted manner, preserving, as far as possible, adjacent healthy tissues and organs," adds Montereali.
Combined with 'smart' microgel films for cell cultures, nuclear track detectors are being studied as part of the Biotrack project, funded by Regione Lazio[1] for the development of innovative technologies in the Life Sciences. 'When the single proton interacts with lithium fluoride it leaves a trail observable under a fluorescence microscope, and it is possible to integrate these nuclear track detectors with biocompatible microgel layers that act as an interface with cells for radiobiology experiments,' Montereali points out.
The numerous applications of photonics for health were the focus of the third edition of the scientific conference 'LIMS 2022 - Light, Imaging, Microscopy, Spectra Applications' held at the ENEA Research Centre in Frascati on the International Day of Light https://www.lightday.org
'During the event, which was characterised by the presence of many young researchers, the recent developments of numerous optical, spectroscopic and laser techniques in imaging, sensor technology, new materials, the ICT and display industry, the energy sector, environmental protection and cultural heritage were also presented and discussed,' Montereali concludes.
For more information:
Rosa Maria Montereali, ENEA - Head of the Micro and Nanostructures Laboratory for Photonics, FSN-TECFIS-MNF,
Scientific Conference 'LIMS 2022 - Light, Imaging, Microscopy, Application Spectra