A new technology, originally developed in 2012 to provide sensors that can tolerate extremely high radiation doses, has proven effective in particle therapy and has many advantages over x-ray photon therapy.

Marco Povoli, Angela Kok and a team of world-renowned medical physicists, sensor technologists and medical personnel formed the microscopic sensor developed at SINTEF in Trondheim, Norway. They partnered with the Centre for Medical Radiation Physicists at the University of Wollongong, Australia.

Although the particle therapy proved to be more effective than x-ray photon therapy, there was still extra work to be done.

“The sensor differs from those manufactured using traditional silicon sensor technology.  It combines some recently developed technologies in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS),” said Kok, a physicist and SINTEF researcher. “It required more precise measurements in terms of how the radiation actually affect biological tissues.  This is vital for dose planning and monitoring in particle therapy. The sensor here can fill this gap, and to provide safer and more accurate therapy that can give better prognosis for patients.”

The microscopic sensor will be able to form part of a real-time online monitoring system during particle therapy, one in which Kok says will be easy to operate and allow accurate monitoring, which in turn has the potential to save time and improve outcomes.

“For example, treatment can be immediately abort if any anomaly in the machine is detected,” said Kok.

As far as cost, Kok and her team are still in the early stages of taking the sensors to manufacture and are looking at cost optimization as part of their ongoing study.

“Given the advantages of the sensors and the matured silicon technology, we are confident that this technology can be brought to an acceptable cost,” said Kok.