Category: News

Source: CSIC Press Release

The Institute of Corpuscular Physics (CSIC-UV), the Institute of Structure of Matter (CSIC), and the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) have developed the first entirely Spanish scanner for proton tomography.

A collaboration led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and consisting of the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC), a joint center of CSIC and the University of Valencia, the Institute of Structure of Matter (IEM-CSIC), and the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), has successfully developed the first entirely Spanish scanner for proton tomography. This new device allows images to be obtained from the particles used in proton therapy, a new technique for treating cancer, thereby enabling better treatment dose planning. The initial results of this project were recently published in The European Physical Journal Plus.

Proton therapy is an advanced form of cancer treatment that uses protons. In recent years, it has gained popularity due to its advantages over conventional radiotherapy, as the characteristics of these particles, which make up the atomic nucleus, allow them to deposit almost all their energy in tumor cells while barely affecting healthy tissue. However, to properly plan the treatment, medical images of the patient are required.

Currently, these images are obtained with X-rays through what are known as computed axial tomographies (CT scans). However, the subsequent treatment is carried out with proton beams, not X-rays (composed of photons, the particles of light), which introduces uncertainties in treatment planning and dose calculation.

A possible solution to this problem would be to obtain images directly with protons. The innovative scanner developed by the Spanish collaboration led by CSIC is the first of its kind in Spain to achieve this goal, the researchers highlight. “Although it is currently a preclinical scanner that has obtained images of small mannequins, the results have been promising and have demonstrated the feasibility of the concept,” says Enrique Nácher, a CSIC scientist at IFIC who is leading this project.

The research team has combined a set of tracking detectors and a high-resolution energy scintillator to detect the residual energy of the protons. They used several mannequins irradiated with protons at a proton therapy center in Krakow, Poland. The mannequins were measured at different angles to obtain images reconstructed by filtered back projection, which were used to determine the scanner’s capabilities and validate its use as a proton computed tomography (proton-CT) scanner.

According to the results of the article, the scanner can produce medium-high quality images, with a resolution comparable to that of other state-of-the-art scanners. In the researchers’ opinion, if the system is properly scaled, it could be used to obtain images of patients before proton therapy, significantly improving treatment planning accuracy. “This would allow optimizing dose deposition in cancerous tissue while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue,” explains the IFIC researcher.

Resource Reuse

The proton scanner developed by the collaboration between the Institute of Corpuscular Physics, the Institute of Structure of Matter, and the Complutense University of Madrid was built by reusing instrumentation and materials from old prototypes of other nuclear physics projects that were no longer useful for their original purposes. This approach has maximized the reuse of resources without the need to invest in new instrumentation, promoting efficient and sustainable use of existing resources, its promoters highlight.

The Universitat de València (UV) has been registered in the official registry of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities as a Knowledge Transfer Office (CTO). With the acceptance of its registration, in addition to the official recognition of its transfer trajectory, the institution will have access to new government and European funds, more resources for internationalisation, better technical support and advice, or new infrastructure and equipment.

The TTOs were created as a result of the Transfer and Collaboration Plan of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, within the framework of the promotion of innovation, knowledge transfer, dissemination and scientific, technological and innovative culture. They are defined as the set of organisational structures that carry out transfer functions and have permanent staff. A new concept of TTO is therefore established, not linked to a ‘physical office’ – as were the OTRIs (Research Results Transfer Offices) – but linked to the exercise of transfer functions.

The recognition and registration of the Universitat de València as a TTO has been achieved after accrediting that the UV has a transfer ecosystem made up of the different structures that adopt, as their own, the knowledge transfer functions defined by the Ministry.

Under the umbrella of the vice-rectorships for Innovation and Transfer; Research; and Studies, the transfer functions carried out in the departments, research institutes, ERIs and Doctoral School, which could be considered as the ‘basic transfer structures’, were highlighted. In addition, those carried out by the AgrotecUV High Technology Incubator, the Unit for Scientific Culture and Innovation (UCC+i), UVEmpren, UVCàtedres, ParcUV, UCIEs and innovation agents were also highlighted and highlighted. To these must be added those of the central services: the Transfer and Innovation Service and the Research Management Service.

The transfer functions recognised to the UV with this registration are the protection of the results of Research, Development and Innovation (R+D+I); the exploitation of research results, inventions and new technologies through any type of contract that involves the transfer of its use or ownership to third parties; collaborative research between public and private entities; the contracting of R+D+I and technological services; the promotion of the creation of knowledge-based entities (formerly spin-offs) and the social dissemination of knowledge.

Among the new funds that the UV will be able to access are those of the Spanish Government specifically aimed at supporting knowledge transfer and innovation, on applied research, technology development, staff training or protection of industrial property.

The Valencian academic institution will also be able to increase the number and quality of European Union funding schemes that support research, innovation and technology transfer, including Horizon Europe, the EU’s framework programme for research and innovation.

Registration as an OTC office will also provide the Universitat de València with greater resources for its internationalisation, through assistance in establishing international collaborations, participating in fairs and events and accessing exchange and mobility programmes for entrepreneurial and research staff.

The improvement of technical support and advice for R&D&I projects and their transfer, in matters such as the management of intellectual property or the development of new strategies, will be provided by the Spanish Government through the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, as well as other transfer entities.

Also, with the registration as an OTC, the UV will be able to benefit from funding programmes with which to access highly specialised infrastructure and equipment in research and technological development, in technology transfer projects that require academic or industrial partners.

Press release from CSIC

• The Institute of Corpuscular Physics (CSIC-UV) is working with the person responsible for the safety of nuclear power plants in Spain to implement a new waste management system.
• The IFIC device, which combines medical imaging techniques and artificial intelligence, is capable of performing dynamic tomography scans of the radioactive activity of nuclear waste containers.

 

The Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), the only body responsible for nuclear safety and radiation protection in Spain, has granted funding to develop a new project at the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC), a joint centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Valencia (UV). This is the Proton project, which aims to develop evaluation methodologies to test a tomographic technology developed at IFIC that allows the visualisation, analysis and control of nuclear waste activity. The project team will take measurements and test these evaluation methodologies at the Garoña nuclear power plant (Burgos).

This project stems from a collaboration that began in 2015 between an IFIC research team led by CSIC scientist Francisco Albiol and the National Radioactive Waste Company (ENRESA). They developed a series of disruptive technologies that enable dynamic tomography of gamma radiation from radioactive isotopes in nuclear waste, thus facilitating waste classification and reducing costs in the process of decommissioning nuclear power plants, which are estimated at around 4,000 million euros in Spain.

Until now, static procedures have been used to determine the activity and dose of a radioactive waste container. ‘The technology we have developed at IFIC allows a more agile tomographic reconstruction independent of the shape of the container and the position of the detectors, taking advantage of the recognition of the environment through artificial intelligence and vision, as well as tomographic techniques adapted from medical imaging,’ explains Francisco Albiol.

However, this technology requires an evaluation by the regulatory body, the CSN, before its incorporation into the industry. In this context, the main objective of the Proton project is to familiarise the CSN with the use, advantages and limitations of the technology developed by IFIC, as well as to collect relevant aspects for calibration and handling. ‘During the project, the aim is to evaluate portable and geometry-independent gamma-ray tomography devices in order to ensure their ability to estimate the distribution and quantification of activity and dose accurately,’ summarises the project coordinator at the CSN, Juan González Cadelo.

 

Tests at the Garoña nuclear power plant

For the correct evaluation of the technologies developed, the project members have among their objectives to go to the Garoña nuclear power plant (Burgos), where measurements will be taken and the methodologies implemented will be tested. Currently, a prototype has already been validated for the tomographic reconstruction of gamma activity and its three-dimensional distribution in nuclear waste containers, which has led to several patents being obtained for these developments.
This project aims not only to provide confidence-inspiring criteria for the technology to characterise nuclear waste, but also to meet industry regulatory requirements and establish boundaries to ensure the proper functioning of this innovative technology. ‘With Proton, we hope to significantly improve nuclear waste assessment and management processes, thus contributing to safety and efficiency in the nuclear industry,’ concludes Albiol.

 

 

 

Source: UVNoticies

A new spin-off of the Universitat de València (UV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) will bring to market a biomedical imaging device for real-time guidance of cancer biopsies. The technology used, industrially owned jointly by both public institutions, provides combined metabolic and morphological data that allow a much more accurate characterisation of tumours. The system also facilitates personalised diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients.

La UCIE del IFIC visitó este pasado mes de marzo las instalaciones de AVS (Added Value Industrial Engeineering Solucions), adjudicataria de la licitación de la Compra Pública Precomercial impulsada por el CDTI para el desarrollo de un demostrador para la fase de inyección de un acelerador de iones de C6+ basado en un acelerador lineal de radiofrecuencia compacto, cuya ejecución se llevará a cabo en Valencia.
La existencia en el IFIC de grupos de investigación que trabajan en este área y que son posibles contratistas de servicios de I+D para el proyecto, justifican la necesidad de reforzar las relaciones con la empresa.
Durante la visita, acompañados de Miguel Ángel Carrera, CEO de AVS, se pudo ver de primera mano el trabajo de la empresa tanto en el área del espacio como en el área de fusión nuclear en sus sedes de Vitoria y Elgoibar, respectivamente.

En esta última localidad se encuentran también las instalaciones de Tekniker, una fundación privada sin ánimo de lucro dedicada a la investigación tecnológica e industria donde se llevan a cabo desarrollos, estudios e investigaciones, así como apoyo estratégico en relación con terceros a las entidades colaboradoras y contratantes. Dada la reciente relación establecida entre el IFIC y Tekniker tras la participación conjunta en grupos de trabajo de la plataforma de la industria de la ciencia, se aprovecha la cercanía con AVS para visitarles y conocer de primera mano a los equipos y los desarrollos que están llevando a cabo y valorar posibles nuevas colaboraciones.

Para finalizar y aprovechar al máximo el viaje, la UCIE se desplazó hasta Canfranc para visitar las instalaciones del Laboratorio Subterráneo, ICTS con la que el IFIC mantiene una larga relación al tener alojados algunos de sus experimentos más destacados.

Since the beginning of November, the SPTO has had a new electronic filing system for inventions, OEPMSEI. With this application, developed in conjunction with the European Patent Office, we want to provide a solution to one of the greatest demands of our users: to modernise and make our electronic application systems for the different types of inventions more user-friendly and intuitive. The scope of this first version is limited, including the following procedures:

• National patent and utility model application (including, in addition to the first filing, the divisional application, the European patent conversion and the change of modality).
• European patent validation application (provisional and final)
• Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC) application, including the filing of SPC extensions for paediatric medicines.
• PCT International Application (form PCT/RO/101)
• European Patent Application (form 1001)
• A limited number of subsequent formalities, which can be consulted on the E-Office.

Throughout this modernisation process, the current system (e-OLF) will continue to be maintained in parallel, but access to it will be progressively restricted until it is finally shut down, once all the necessary procedures have been migrated. Access to the application will require electronic identification via cl@ve or using an EPO Smartcard.

Further information

Las instalaciones del Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), centro mixto del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) y la Universitat de València (UV), en el Parc Científic de la UV en Paterna (Valencia) albergarán un equipamiento científico único en España. Se trata de la primera fase de un acelerador lineal compacto de iones, una técnica que se perfila como una de las futuras terapias más efectivas en tratamientos radiológicos contra el cáncer. La ejecución se desarrollará durante los próximos cinco años.

Protones (partículas que forman el núcleo del átomo) e iones (átomos con carga eléctrica) permiten modular la irradiación sobre los tejidos tumorales con gran precisión, con un daño en el tejido sano mucho menor que la radioterapia convencional que usa fotones (rayos X). El tratamiento con protones o iones es especialmente recomendado para casos pediátricos y tumores radio-resistentes. Además, los iones presentan mayor eficacia radiobiológica, aún menor toxicidad y una respuesta inmunológica más favorable que los protones. No obstante, se requieren más estudios para confirmar estos resultados.

“Las partículas pesadas superan en actividad antitumoral a los protones manteniendo la selectividad y protección de los tejidos sanos. Son el modelo de radioterapia para el siglo XXI”, asegura el doctor Carlos Ferrer Albiach, director científico de la Fundación de Investigación del Hospital Provincial de Castellón, colaborador y asesor del proyecto. “Esta nueva instalación nos permitirá ser pioneros en el mundo en estos equipos, pudiendo desarrollar programas de investigación y terapia muy avanzados”, asegura.

La propuesta que se instalará en el IFIC supone el desarrollo de un acelerador-inyector lineal para iones de carbono (C⁶⁺) con una energía de al menos 10 megaelectronvoltios por nucleón (MeV/n), como primera etapa de una instalación completa de iones de carbono. A nivel operativo, este equipo será la base de una instalación que funcionará en el IFIC para su explotación científica en biomedicina preclínica y radiobiología.

“La terapia con haces de iones representa una de nuestras mejores bazas futuras en la lucha contra el cáncer. La instalación prevista en el IFIC, centro mixto del CSIC y la Universitat de València, será una herramienta que permitirá adquirir los conocimientos necesarios sobre los efectos de este tipo de radiación en el organismo. Además, seguro que posibilitará desarrollar nuevas técnicas que ahora ni siquiera imaginamos” explica Juan Fuster Verdú, profesor de investigación del CSIC en el IFIC y responsable del proyecto para el CSIC.

Innovación para simplificar equipos

La tecnología en haces de iones está ya suficientemente madura. El verdadero desafío es la generalización de su accesibilidad, ya que actualmente son equipos singulares, escasos a nivel mundial, de grandes dimensiones y costosos. “En términos pragmáticos es necesario un proceso de innovación que simplifique la instrumentación del equipo y además posibilite la reconversión de los espacios hospitalarios que se usan en la actualidad. Es decir, hacerlos más compactos, más sencillos y más baratos. Si esto se consigue se facilitará una mayor expansión de esta terapia y su aplicación para aquellos pacientes que la necesiten”, explica Daniel Esperante Pereira, profesor de la Universitat de València y coordinador de esta infraestructura para el IFIC.

Los recientes avances en tecnología de aceleradores han permitido la aparición de posibles soluciones para la terapia con iones. “Los aceleradores lineales basados en sistemas de radiofrecuencia, conocidos como linacs, representan una solución prometedora que proporciona un diseño compacto con capacidades óptimas de variación de las características del haz, en particular su energía, reducción del blindaje, un diseño modular acorde a las necesidades de la instalación y un menor coste del acelerador asociado al menor tamaño del haz”, sostiene Juan Fuster, que, junto a su grupo de investigación en el IFIC, tiene amplia experiencia participando en experimentos de aceleradores de partículas del CERN como LEP y el actual LHC.

Estudios únicos a nivel mundial

El equipo construido en el IFIC servirá para desarrollar esta tecnología de aceleradores lineales compactos con haces de iones, y su uso científico posibilitará estudios radiobiológicos únicos a nivel mundial. El programa de investigación abordará la primera etapa de los estudios biomédicos necesarios para poner a punto un programa de hadronterapia clínica. Para ello, “el acelerador tendrá cierta flexibilidad en las especificaciones, como una modulación flexible de los paquetes del haz, una emitancia pequeña y una divergencia lo más contenida posible, con el fin de realizar estudios radiobiológicos in vitro e in-vivo en tejidos superficiales”, avanza Daniel Esperante.

El abanico de posibilidades para la investigación que se abre con esta instalación es muy amplio: modelizar y sistematizar el comportamiento de los iones; el estudio de nuevas técnicas de deposición de dosis; estudiar el posible uso combinado de diferentes iones; la complementariedad para poder aplicar energías de radiación variables; y la comparación de efectos según el tipo de iones, entre otros. Estas líneas de investigación tienen como objetivo contribuir en aspectos clínicos y preclínicos para desarrollar una planificación más precisa y especializada de los tratamientos con protones, iones y nuevas técnicas, en coordinación con instalaciones similares en Europa y Japón.

Inversión

El proyecto cuenta con un presupuesto base de la licitación de 18 millones de euros del Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (CDTI Innovación), en el marco de los Fondos Europeos de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER 2021-27), financiados por la Unión Europea y regulados mediante un convenio de colaboración entre el CDTI y el CSIC, ambos dependientes del Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Se trata de un proceso de Compra Pública de Innovación (CPI), una herramienta para fomentar la innovación desde el sector público a través de la adquisición de soluciones innovadoras o de soluciones en fase de desarrollo. En este caso se ha realizado la adjudicación a AVS GROUP (Added Value Industrial Engineering Solutions S.L.U), empresa líder en diseño y desarrollo de equipos para los sectores espacial y de gran ciencia.

En la construcción del acelerador también participa el CIEMAT (Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas). Su responsable para este proyecto, José Manuel Pérez Morales, director del departamento de Tecnología, afirma que “el desarrollo de este equipo supondrá la puesta en marcha de un conjunto de recursos público-privados del tejido de innovación estatal que, en caso de éxito, puede posicionarse para el desarrollo de equipos completos de terapia de nueva generación”. En su opinión, “puede iniciar una nueva etapa en las capacidades del tejido industrial y de la I+D en España”.

 

Fuente: Nota de prensa CSIC https://delegacion.comunitatvalenciana.csic.es/valencia-albergara-la-primera-fase-de-un-acelerador-de-particulas-de-nueva-generacion-para-luchar-contra-el-cancer/

The Agència Valenciana de la Innovació (AVI), the instrument of the Generalitat Valenciana to coordinate its innovation strategy, continues to promote the Scientific Unit for Business Innovation (in Spanish, UCIE) of the Institute of Corpuscular Physics, (IFIC / CSIC-UV), during the year 2022, with the granting of an annual aid.

This aid, granted by the agency in competitive concurrence for first time, aims to promote knowledge transfer and connect research centers and universities with the challenges and needs of the bussines community. For this porpouse, it subsidizes different actions that may be eligible for 60% co-funding by the ERDF Operational Program of the Valencian Community 2021-2027.

In its four years of existence, the IFIC’s UCIE has promoted the development of more than 15 innovative projects in collaboration with companies and technological and research institutes of the Valencian Community.

AVI has allocated this year almost 5 million euros to finance 11 UCIEs in centers of excellence research in the Valencian Community, with the aim of promoting applied research oriented to the productive sector. The network of UCIEs is therefore expanded, with the incorporation of the Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Health Biotechnology of the Miguel Hernández University (IDIBE-UMH) and the Valencian Institute for Research in Artificial Intelligence (VRAIN) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV).

Also within the framework of its program for the valorization of research results, AVI will provide approximately 4.5 million for the development of 17 prototypes and pilot tests in universities, research centers and technological institutes.

In the resolution of concession of four of its six annual aid programs to promote and strengthen the innovation system of the Comunitat, the Generalitat finances the development of 103 innovation projects worth 14.5 million euros.

IFIC’s UCIE was created in 2018 with the aim of bringing the Institute’s research results closer to the industrial environment by implementing two strategies: bringing IFIC’s research closer to the needs of companies and supporting the establishment of collaborations with other agents of the Valencian R&D&I system to achieve an effective transfer of the technologies generated at IFIC.

Among these technologies are the medical applications of physics, such imaging systems diagnosis, surgical assistance and the development of new technologies in accelerators with clinical applications. Also of great potential are the development of applications linked to artificial intelligence, electronics and the environment. These technologies arise from IFIC’s experience in basic research on the elements of matter, a field where it is a pioneering center in Spain.

On June 15th UCIE attended the II Jornada Industria de la Ciencia – ICTS Infraestructuras Científicas y Técnicas Singulares de física de partículas, fusión y astronomía – estrechando lazos con la industria, organized by CDTI, INNEUSTAR and INDUCIENCIA in Madrid.
The main objective of this conference is to serve as a meeting point to establish links between the Spanish science industry and the most relevant scientific infrastructures in the areas of particle physics, fusion and astronomy.
On the basis of the planned investment plans of this set of ICTS, the day discussed the most important technological challenges and opportunities for the science industry in the coming years, organized in a format of different round tables, which was quite participatory.
Finally, in the afternoon, B2B meetings were organized between companies, attendees and representatives of the infrastructures to promote mutual understanding and collaboration.
The ICTSs made available to the attendees the information on the challenges they plan to address in detailed summary sheets to facilitate the collection of information and participation. These sheets are available at the Unit and also on the event website.

All companies involved in the science industry attended and actively participated. UCIE innovation agents were able to explore opportunities for collaboration with companies and infrastructures.

The Spanish Seniors for Technical Cooperation (SECOT) association held the 15th edition of its SECOT Awards for Excellence, sponsored by the Repsol Foundation, on Wednesday 14 June at the CSIC Auditorium in Madrid.

In this edition, HYBRIMS (Hybrid Imaging Systems), a project promoted by IFIC (CSIC-UV) researcher Luis Caballero that develops medical devices for the accurate diagnosis of cancer, was awarded a runner-up distinction in the category of Highest Impact Project. The aim of this category is to recognise the project with the greatest impact on civil society in which the SECOT association has participated.

Jorge Cabero, Director of Innovation at the Fundación General CSIC, presented the award to Luis Caballero, accompanied by Adolfo Torres, Senior Advisor to the SECOT delegation in Madrid.

“I would like to thank once again the mentors of this project for their invaluable help, which, apart from supporting us and giving us strength on this hard road of entrepreneurship, has helped us to improve and focus on the central points of the business plan and product development. We hope to save many lives, which is what really matters to us,” said Caballero.

The event was attended by the vice-president of Scientific and Technical Research of the CSIC, José María Martell; the president of SECOT, Inocente Gómez Bordonado; and the director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship of the Repsol Foundation, Ane de Ariño Ochoa. Gonzalo Bans, well-known journalist, broadcaster and event presenter, acted as master of ceremonies.

On behalf of the president of the CSIC, Eloísa del Pino, Martell was in charge of opening the event and welcoming the attendees. In his speech, he stressed that “these awards represent an important milestone in SECOT’s commitment to support and promote entrepreneurship in our society”. In this sense, he stressed that these awards are also a stimulus to continue advancing and a support for the trajectory of these entrepreneurs, whose work “is fundamental for the economic and social development of our country”.

The SECOT Awards aim to recognise the effort and initiative of SECOT members in providing business advice to entrepreneurs, micro-enterprises and non-profit organisations.

About HYBRIMS

HYBRIMS aims at the development and viability of a Knowledge-Based Enterprise (KBE) created from the development of a patented medical technology that combines gamma and ultrasound imaging with real-time cancer biopsy guidance capabilities. This novel device adds the metabolic information provided by gamma imaging, which visualises the most active or aggressive areas of the tumour, to the morphological information obtained with ultrasound, allowing the specialist to obtain more precise information about the tumour.