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Advanced Accelerator Design to Enhance Boron-Neutron-Capture Therapy

Award Information
Agency: Department of Energy
Branch: N/A
Contract: DE-FG02-00ER86111
Agency Tracking Number: DE-FG02-00ER86111
Amount: $500,000.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 2001
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
15 Ward Street
Somerville, MA 02143
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Rodney Petr
 Principal Investigator
 () -
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
 
University of California One Cclotron Road
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States

 Federally Funded R&D Center (FFRDC)
Abstract

Recent clinical trials have cast doubt on the efficacy of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) for brain tumor treatment when low energy, reactor-generated neutron beams are used. It has been predicted that higher energy, accelerator-produced neutron beams would have an epithermal neutron spectrum that would be much more effective. Therefore, this project will design and fabricate an innovative accelerator for neutron generation based on an RF shunt-fed voltage multiplier. Phase I showed that a shunt-fed, inductively coupled accelerator is capable of clinical BNCT by demonstrating: (1) the required multi-stage voltage multiplication at high current; (2) the low voltage ripple characteristics required to support 2.5 MeV operation at high current; and (3) that the all-solid-state power supply can be successfully matched to the accelerating column, delivering the required voltage and current characteristics. Phase II will verify that a 2.5 MV, 50 mA electrostatic accelerator can be built for BNCT. The resulting energy spectrum of the produced neutrons will be optimized for BNCT trials.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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