A COMPACT SOURCE FOR NEUTRON CAPTURE THERAPY FOR PONTINE GLIOMA.

About This Grant

A compact neutron source with collimator and Boron delivery method will be developed that permits radiation to go directly to the pons and cancerous cells, while minimizing that which goes to the healthy cells. In conventional radiation therapy, the main palliative treatment for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, both healthy and cancerous cells receive the same amount of irradiation. A neutron source with a focusing collimator will be developed that permits radiation to go directly to the pons and cancerous cells, while minimizing what goes to the healthy cells. In addition, Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) provides a more specific and targeted destruction of the cancer cells while minimizing healthy cell death. A new compact generator married to a neutron optic can deliver the neutrons directly to the Pons, thus achieving close irradiation and, with a boron delivery to the cancer cells, specific cell destruction. To provide a more directional tumor volume and cell-specific targeting we propose a compact generator integrated with a spectral and volume shaping delivery optic to direct thermal neutrons to the pons inside the body with minimal invasiveness. The ratio of the boron delivered to the cancer vs that taken up by a healthy cell increases the cancer cell death by roughly that ratio, permitting increased dose.