Developments towards an Advanced Ion Therapy Research Center in the US

Abstract

The purpose of these developments is to establish an Advanced Ion Therapy Research Center in the US. The proposed center will be the first linac-based ion therapy facility in the world, with the advantage of much desired fast energy and ion beam species switching capability. Such a facility would prove a unique platform to stage the development of pre-clinical studies to prepare for FDA clearance for carbon and other ion beam therapies in the US, and pave the way to establishing clinical ion therapy facilities in this country. The proposed center will enable a breadth of research and applications such as cellular radiobiology, comparative studies of different ion beam therapies and the development of real-time imaging for precise and accurate dose delivery. A multi-institutional collaboration is proposing an innovative center for ion therapy research that will combine an advanced compact carbon ion linac, a compact superconducting carbon beam gantry and real-time MRI-guided beam delivery for therapy. Research and Development towards the realization of the proposed center is underway along three major axes. First, the development of high-gradient accelerating structures for the linac, second, the development of compact curved, combined-function bending magnets and beam scanning magnets for the gantry, and third, the development to combine real-time MRI imaging with ion beam delivery systems. A conceptual design for a compact carbon ion therapy linac has been recently developed. The linac is 45 meters long and capable of accelerating ion beams from proton to neon up to an energy of 450 MeV/u. Prototypes of high-gradient accelerating structures required for the linac are being fabricated and tested. A design of a compact superconducting carbon gantry was also developed and a compact carbon beam scanner magnet is being prototyped. A preliminary concept for MRI-guided ion beam delivery was most recently developed. Other imaging options and range verification techniques, including prompt gamma, positron emission tomography, ionoacoustics and ion beam CT are being considered. Progress made in these areas of development will be presented. Linac-based technology for ion therapy allows more flexibility in beam tuning than synchrotron-based technology with much faster energy modulation and ion beam switching. The reported developments will enable this technology and pave the way to establishing the proposed therapy research center as a national and international resource.