Recommended application field: - Cancer treatment, in particular of brain tumors; - Veterinary medicine.

Advantages over analogues: Main Advantages: - Existing nuclear research reactors may be readily modified to provide the proposed epithermal neutron beam-precluding any need to design and construct a dedicated reactor; - Uses a Ni-60 neutron filited for essential improvement in therapeutic source parameters; - Destroy tumors by avoiding highly traumatic surgical techniques; - High radiation dosses are applied directly to malignant cells while the impact on healthy cells is minimized.

The development stage readiness: Tested experimental exploitation order

Description of the development:
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Neutron Capture Therapy (NTC) is a promising form of radiation therapy characterized by two interrelated features: The infusion or delivery of a capture compound which preferentially concentrates in the tumor, followed by the irradiation of the tumor site with neutrons. Inasmuch as the boron isotope 5B[10] is often used as a neutron capture agent in compounds, this form of therapy is thus termed Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). The lage themal neutron capture cross section of 5B[10] gretly increases the probablity of the resulting 5B[11] nucleus to split into He and Li. As the ionization potential of He and Li ionis is high as they slow down in the biological material along relatively short distances, the affected cells enriched by bjrjn are destroyed while normal, healthy cells are damagel to a much lesser extent. However, as the penetrating capability of thermal neutrons is low, to reach cancerous tumor calls localized at depths of several centimeters, epithermal neutrons are more suitable to the task. Such epithermal neutrons have a lower neutron capture rate in a lower skin dose burden while the moderation of epithermal neutrons within the head would give rise to a thermal neutron peak at the cancerous tumor site. The most suitable neutrons for BNCT are those with energies in the range of 1 eV to 10 keV because their KERMA factor (and hence direct tissue damage) is less than for thermal or fast neurtons. Such epithermal neutron beams may be providing by nuclear research reactors. The concept behind provided by nuclear research reactors. The concept behind providing such a source the a modification of the reactor such that the emergent beam is slowed to the epithermal range. Such modifications of research reactors are usually relatively straightforward and not cost prohibitive - especially when compared to constructing new reactors dedicated to BNCT. Of course, any modification to a reactor should be justified with careful design work taking into account all specifics of a given specific reactor system.

corresponds technical description
Conforms to technical characteristic

Possibility of transfer abroad:
Licence's sale

Photo

Country Ukraine

For additional information turn to:
E-mail: gal@uintei.kiev.ua