Description:
Fast-Track proposals will be accepted.
Direct-to-Phase II proposals will be accepted.
Number of anticipated awards: 2-3
Budget (total costs, per award):
Phase I: up to $400,000 for up to 12 months
Phase II: up to $2,000,000 for up to 2 years
PROPOSALS THAT EXCEED THE BUDGET OR PROJECT DURATION LISTED ABOVE MAY NOT BE FUNDED.
Summary
An important development in the field of radiation oncology is demonstration that ultra-fast dose rate (also known as
FLASH) radiation therapy has fewer side effects than regular radiation therapy at the same delivered dose. This finding is
under intense investigation globally and a race is underway to understand and subsequently implement this methodology in
the clinic.
The current devices that measure radiation dose lack response times sufficient to adequately address ultra-fast dose rates of
40-120 Gy/second. This is especially problematic when the total prescribed dose may be only 8-20 Gy. Current medical
practice dictates that radiation dose must be given within 20% of the prescription, or else be subject to a formal reportable
medical event, as regulated by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. To safely utilize FLASH treatment
technique in the clinic, radiation detectors need to be developed that can reliably function at dose rate from 2-10 Gy/minute
to 40-120 Gy/second. Additionally, the time structure and the fluence shape of the pulse must be verified to meet FLASH
specifications. FLASH radiation delivery’s biological effect may be a function of a unique fine delivery structure that
requires ultrafast dose measurement capacity to confirm that the proper, optimal time structure is being used (pulses versus
continuous beam delivery).
