Project description
Improving cancer imaging techniques using Cherenkov radiation
Time-of-flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) is commonly used in cancer detection. The scanner performance relies on the radiation detectors used. Improving their time and spatial features will dramatically affect their diagnostic capacity. The EU-funded CHLOE-PET project aims to build a gamma detector for TOF-PET to further improve the time resolution and spatial segmentation of state-of-the-art detectors by a factor of up to 7 and 10, respectively. The novelty of the proposed design lies in using Cherenkov light, innovative geometry optimised to maximise light collection and photodetectors with small pixel pitch. CLOE-PET will, for the first time, attempt to scale a detector module to a full-size system that can be used in a hospital setting.
Objective
Time-of-flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) is the standard-of-care in cancer detection. TOF-PET scanners’ performance is dependent on the radiation detectors they use. Improving time and spatial detection features in such detectors will dramatically impact the diagnostic capacity of TOF-PET systems.
The goal of this project is to build a gamma detector concept for TOF-PET able to improve the time resolution and spatial segmentation of state-of-the-art detectors by a factor of up to 7 and 10, respectively, without additional production costs. CHLOE-PET is a forward-looking gamma detector design for TOF-PET able to exploit the new photodetector technologies that are currently under development and will become available within the next 5-to-10 years.
The novelty of the proposed design lies in using Cherenkov light as a prompt time source, using an innovative geometry optimized to maximize light collection, and employing photodetectors with small pixel pitch. This project is the first attempt to build a detector module scalable to a full-size system that can be used in a hospital setting. The CHLOE-PET detector will consist of bismuth germanate (BGO) crystals with 12 mm thickness and will combine the readout of scintillation and Cherenkov light. CHLOE-PET will provide an effective 3D segmentation of 2x2x2 mm3, an intrinsic photon time spread of 20 ps, and no intrinsic radiation background (unlike state-of-the-art TOF-PET detectors).
Such improvements will allow increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of images by >2-fold, to be able to detect lesions of 2 mm size (>3 times the current performance), to build portable high-performance organ-dedicated TOF-PET systems, and to universalize the use of dynamic TOF-PET studies. The combination of these outcomes will provide significantly better diagnostic capabilities in a range of fields such as oncology, neurology, or cardiology, among others, and ultimately boost treatment efficacy and patient comfort.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences theoretical physics particle physics
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine radiology nuclear medicine
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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(opens in new window) ERC-2021-STG
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08193 Cerdanyola Del Valles
Spain
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