LhARA radiobiology; meeting: 14May26; 14:00 GMT

ZOOM: ​https://imperial-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/98220889714?pwd=SM90vOF7BKSXoU3mD9q7OwBQo4IVB3.1

Attended: PH, JMcG, MB, TP, CD, (KL)

Meeting Notes

Plan for PoPLaR

1. Next SCAPA beamtime
   • Dates: July/August
   • Determine a baseline:
     • A baseline of repeating phase 2 cell irradiations was set

2. Aim for October
   • Paper
     • Aim for a physics publication with reference to the biology results
   • Add to Phase 3 plan:
     • Comet analysis provides DNA damage results and relatively easy to complete but requires more cell irradiations
       • Neutral and alkaline analyses seem the best to study single- and double-strand breaks
       • Also see the variation across the cell dish
     • Compare this and the clonogenics to the cyclotron irradiation
   • Questions to answer:
     • Is the spatial variation acceptable?

3. Aim for Post-October
   • Desired work/papers
     • Include IF but it is unnecessary to do in Phase 3 due to the additional irradiations required
     • X-ray comparison: Feasible to be included in Phase 3
       • Would reproduce the same irradiation conditions (time out of incubator and vertical irradiation) as laser-driven protons
   • What do we need to know before we can plan more
     • Pre-proton electrons:
       • Could explore using the dipoles to remove these
       • Have finance for the dipole but need stands so unlikely to be Phase 3
     • LET measurement
       • LET detector researched but unknown if it will be available for Phase 3

4. ELI
   • Almost certainly post-October and ran out of time to properly discuss how this can be included in the plan.

5. Review steps required
   • Plan on Google Doc: ​https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OTARVtxhLRu02S6CLdRDB2QlGvCqDfZ3aWBifjIFs_Q/edit?usp=sharing
   • Steps on Trello: ​https://trello.com/invite/b/67587c515b0c69656ee78b48/ATTIe86f94b24e3e5884e4cb87e5ed3b89ab64321B83/poplar
   • Updates:
     • Diagnostics:
       • RCF:
         • Tony is delaminating some RCF and will compare with the delaminated EBT3 Mark supplied.
         • If we provide a batch we will use at SCAPA Tony can test this as well and do the calibration.
         • Suggestion that X-ray calibration removes the high-LET saturation effect.
         • Marie has offered to do the RCF calibration prior to travelling up
       • SciFi:
         • Peter has found a source for hollow fibre.
           • Cost: £300-400 for 15m, though Peter has money that can be put towards that.
           • Could do with a simulation to provide an order of magnitude estimate on the energy deposited on transport fibres
         • Tony has offered Birmingham to test the fibres before SCAPA
           • Make a package of everything we need and take to Birmingham
           • Also, would be able to test using a fibre around the cell dish here
             • Keep this simple at the start and just use one fibre
     • Bio:
       • Could potentially borrow Marie's inverted microscope but depends on other lab users
       • Marie is keen to meet up with Jason and Emma to help organise a dry run or testing on the control cell survival

6. DoNM
   • 21/05/26?

7. AoB
   • IPAC submitted

Summary of actions required

In-Beam Diagnostics

• CD, TP: Refine evaluations of LET in the cells with the RCF in front
  • DONE
• CD: Predict the cell dish dose from the RCF in front of it
  • DONE
• PH, CD: Initial measurements of sci-fi arrays
  • DONE
• CD/KL: Provide plan for Master's students who will count photons from UV source for sci-fi arrays
  • DONE
• Unassigned: Acquire a glass sheet
• Unassigned: Get a new RCF batch and calibrate
• PH: Investigate how to get the light out of the vacuum chamber
• CD: Simulate energy deposited in transport fibres
• KL, CD, JMcG, PH: Make a full scifi prototype
• KL, CD, JMcG, PH: Discuss visit to Birmingham to test SciFi
• RW, CD: Study correlation between laser diagnostics and mean dose
• Unassigned: Investigate how a phosphor sheet could be incorporated into the design of the cell dish

Bio Next Steps

• CD: Gather ideas for improving cell survival
  • DONE
• EM, CD, JMcG: Write up technical summary of Phase 2
• EM: Write up a biology plan for a 2 PMQ setup
• Unassigned: Obtain an inverted microscope
• Unassigned: Obtain multi-chamber haemocytometers (Might be able to use Birmingham's)
• MB, JP, MB: Meet up to plan cell survival dry run
• EM*: Run controls to examine how long the cells can survive vertically

Beamline Modelling

• CD: Find LET for different energies in the cell dish
  • DONE
• RW: Examine energy spectra variation
• RW, CD: Source characterisation

Other Beamlines

• EM: Coordinate ELIMED bid
  • DONE
• JMcG: Simulate BELLA
• JMcG: Simulate ELI

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