AMPHORA - ACOUSTIC MARKERS FOR ENHANCED REMOTE SENSING OF RADIATION DOSES
From 01-11-2017 to 31-10-2021
Description
Approximately 50% of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment. The aim is hereby to maximise tumor irradiation and to minimize healthy tissue irradiation. This implies a need for appropriate dosimetry strategies that can effectively measure the actual radiation dose imparted on the tumor. However, state-of-the-art dosimetry cannot quantify the dose distribution in (and around) the tumor, hereby inhibiting the full potential of radiotherapy. AMFORA aims to develop a non-invasive in-situ dosimetry system for radiation therapy with the potential of on-line dose assessment by casting ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) into dose sensing theranostic devices. UCAs will be upgraded to injectable dose-sensitive and targeted devices that gather in tumor tissue and translate imparted radiation dosage into a modulation of their acoustic response upon ultrasound interrogation. Tailored ultrasound imaging and advanced signal processing algorithms will be developed to extract the (change in) acoustic signature of UCAs from backscatter data and to translate this information into a 2D or 3D dose distribution map. The specific objectives of this project are the design, development and pre-clinical validation of the aforementioned UCA based dosimetry system and a customised ultrasound read-out technology.
Upon successful completion, AMFORA will have enabled the assessment of the effective radiation dose distribution in (and around) the tumor, offering an advanced and objective means to compare and evaluate treatment efficacy of different radiotherapy modalities. Such novel technology would revolutionize quality assurance and treatment follow up in radiotherapy, which also unmistakably will lead to increased patient safety and improved treatment protocols. Moreover, AMFORA is expected to trigger an avalanche of novel technologies.
Team
- Sabine Van Huffel, Co-promoter
- Alexander Bertrand, Co-promoter
- Jan Dhooge, Coordinator (External)
- Emiliano DAgostino, Promoter (External)
- Gaio Paradossi, Promoter (External)
- Steffen Tretbar, Promoter (External)
- Laurence Lutsen, Promoter (External)
Financing
Funding: EU Funding - European Funding
Program/Grant Type: FET Open - FET Open - Novel Ideas for Radically New Technologies
Events
2/09/2024:
PhD defense - Martijn Oldenhof
Machine Learning for Advanced Chemical Analysis and Structure Recognition in Drug Discovery
3/09/2024:
Meet the Jury Igor Tetko on Advanced Machine Learning in Drug Discovery
12/09/2024:
Multimodal analysis of cell-free DNA for sensitive cancer detection in low-coverage and low-sample settings
Seminar by Antoine Passemiers
News
STADIUS Alumni Herman Verrelst – new CEO of Biocartis
08 June 2017
Herman Verrelst, the founder of KU Leuven spin-off Cartagenia, who has been working in Silicon Valley, US for the last few years will be returning to Belgium to follow the steps of Rudi Pauwels as CEO of the Belgian diagnostic company, Biocartis.
Supporting healthcare policymaking via machine learning – batteries included!
29 May 2017
STADIUS takes the lead in the data analytics efforts in an ambitious European Project MIDAS.
Marc Claesen gives an interview about his PhD for the magazine of the Faculty of Engineering Sciences "Geniaal"
10 February 2017
Did you know that in Belgium approximately one third of type 2 diabetes patients are unaware of their condition?
Joos Vandewalle is nieuwe voorzitter KVAB
09 October 2016
Op 5 oktober 2016 heeft de Algemene Vergadering van de Academie KVAB Joos Vandewalle verkozen tot voorzitter van de KVAB.