Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Small animal proton Irradiator for Research in Molecular Image-guided radiation-Oncology

Objective

Precision small animal radiotherapy (RT) research is a young emerging field aiming at unravelling complex in-vivo mechanisms of radiation damage in target and non-target tissues, for translation into improved clinical treatment strategies.

For commonly used X-rays, commercial small animal radiation research platforms were recently developed to provide precision imaged-guided RT comparable to state-of-the-art human treatment. Conversely, such platforms are not yet existing for proton beams, which are increasingly used in RT due to their superior ability to concentrate beam energy in the tumour and spare normal tissue. Pre-clinical research is thus carried out at the few available proton therapy facilities, lacking adequate beam quality and image-guidance for small animal treatment.

To fill this gap, this project will realize and demonstrate the first prototype system for precision small animal proton irradiation at existing experimental beamlines of clinical facilities. Improved beam quality for targeting small structures will be achieved via a dedicated magnetic focusing system. Innovative in-situ image-guidance will combine ion-specific solutions of proton-transmission imaging (for treatment planning) and thermoacoustics (for verification of the beam range) with established ultrasound (for real-time morphological confirmation) and positron-emission-tomography (for functional assessment). The resulting multi-modal “sight” will be used to foster new workflows of treatment adaptation. The system will be thoroughly tested and finally deployed in a first in-vivo study in different orthotopic mouse cancer models, in comparison to reference X-ray RT at a commercial small animal platform.

SIRMIO will deliver the first, compact and cost-effective precision small animal proton irradiator for advancing molecular oncology and animal-based proton RT research, thereby providing new experimental insights in biological in-situ responses towards proton and photon irradiation.

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.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2016-COG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 525 925,00
Address
GESCHWISTER SCHOLL PLATZ 1
80539 MUNCHEN
Germany

See on map

Region
Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 525 925,00

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0