SEMINARIO: Empowering proton therapy research with tools free of vendor lock-in

Abstract:
In this seminar, Fernando will describe his research on proton therapy, mainly focused on real-time range verifcation based on the detection of prompt gamma-rays. He will report the latest results from state-of-the-art collimated systems deployed with patients, as well as outline a more experimental approach using a novel coaxial detector, which may have better prospects of integration
in compact treatment rooms. Furthermore, he will give details on the current status of a software being developed for real-time Monte Carlo simulation of proton treatments, and on his in-depth experimental investigations of photomultiplier tubes. Finally, he will give examples of how the development of open access software and hardware tools can empower researchers worldwide by lifting the burden of black boxes or vendor lock in, and at the same time can boost knowledge transfer, collaboration, transparency and reproducibility in science.

About the speaker:
II started my research on proton therapy at Technische Universität Dresden, Germany, in 2012, thanks to a Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher fellowship, within the initial training network ENTERVISION. In 2017, I moved to Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School) to collaborate in the translation to the clinics of a prompt gamma-ray spectroscopy camera, that was tested with patients
in early 2020. Since 2020, I work at IFIC as the PI of the CDEIGENT project «Novel cost-effective proton range verification based on coaxial prompt gamma-ray monitoring», developed within the IRIS group (http://ific.uv.es/iris). In 2025, I was awarded a Ramón y Cajal contract.

Figure (1). Coaxial prompt gamma-ray detector in a proton treatment room monitoring the head & neck region. The number of y-ray detections per unit proton is correlated to the beamrange.