2023-04-14 シンガポール国立大学(NUS)
カプセル内部には、柔軟な光ファイバー、ナノスチンセレータ、pH応答性フィルム、複数の流体モジュールなどが備わっており、放射線が検知されるとカプセル内のセンサーが瞬時に情報をスマートフォンアプリに送信する。カプセルの大きさは一般的なサプリメントや薬のサイズに相当し、製造費は50シンガポールドル。
現在は、胃がんの放射線治療に利用されるが、カプセルのサイズのカスタマイズにより、他のがん治療でも使用が可能である。
<関連情報>
- https://news.nus.edu.sg/ingestible-capsule-x-ray-dosimeter/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-023-01024-2
放射線治療のリアルタイムモニタリングのための飲み込み型X線線量計 A swallowable X-ray dosimeter for the real-time monitoring of radiotherapy
Bo Hou,Luying Yi,Dehong Hu,Zichao Luo,Duyang Gao,Chao Li,Bowen Xing,Jiong-Wei Wang,Chuen Neng Lee,Rong Zhang,Zonghai Sheng,Bin Zhou & Xiaogang Liu
Nature Biomedical Engineering Published:13 April 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-023-01024-2
Abstract
Monitoring X-ray radiation in the gastrointestinal tract can enhance the precision of radiotherapy in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Here we report the design and performance, in the gastrointestinal tract of rabbits, of a swallowable X-ray dosimeter for the simultaneous real-time monitoring of absolute absorbed radiation dose and of changes in pH and temperature. The dosimeter consists of a biocompatible optoelectronic capsule containing an optical fibre, lanthanide-doped persistent nanoscintillators, a pH-sensitive polyaniline film and a miniaturized system for the wireless readout of luminescence. The persistent luminescence of the nanoscintillators after irradiation can be used to continuously monitor pH without the need for external excitation. By using a neural-network-based regression model, we estimated the radiation dose from radioluminescence and afterglow intensity and temperature, and show that the dosimeter was approximately five times more accurate than standard methods for dose determination. Swallowable dosimeters may help to improve radiotherapy and to understand how radiotherapy affects tumour pH and temperature.
