Internship and thesis proposals
Modeling cell irradiations with low-energy ions: cell survival calculations with NanOx

Domaines
Statistical physics
Biophysics
Nuclear physics and Nuclear astrophysics

Type of internship
Théorique, numérique
Description
In France, more than half of all cancer patients are treated with radiotherapy (RT). Some innovative RTs optimize the dose of radiation delivered to the tumor, while limiting the exposure of healthy tissue. Innovative RTs, such as Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT), or Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) use low-energy ions to selectively irradiate tumors from inside the body. One of the advantages of both techniques is that they enable targeted, systemic irradiation of metastatic lesions. Biophysical models are developed to predict the biological dose to tumors during treatment with these innovative RTs. In this context, the NanOx biophysical model was developed at the IP2I. In BNCT and TAT, the distribution of therapeutic agents can have a major impact on the dose received by tumor cells and, more generally, on the treatment as a whole. It is therefore important to study the consequences of partial cell irradiation on the biological effects. The aim of this internship is to explore this question in greater detail, using Monte Carlo simulation tools coupled to the NanOx model. During this internship, the student will use codes developed by our team to simulate the irradiation of cells with low-energy ions and calculate cell survival fractions. The student will then improve the simulations to include realistic cell geometries and algorithms to take into account new radiation targets in order to assess their impact on the overall biological effect.

Contact
Etienne TESTA
Laboratory : IP2I - UMR5822
Team : PRISME
Team Website
/ Thesis :    Funding :