The University of New Mexico

University of Notre Dame Du Lac

University System of Maryland

University of California

Shuang Luan

Lijun Ma

Danny Ziyi Chen

Chao Wang

Cedric Xinsheng Yu

Zhe Chen

Richard Shaw

Xiaodong Wu

Nathan Reid Swanson

Xiaobo Sharon Hu

Matthew A Earl

Dorian C Arnold

Roy William Keyes

Daniel Andres Riofrio Almeida

Christian Romano

Michalis Faloutsos

Abdullah Mueen

Amanda J Minnich

The transverse intensity distribution of a beam of x-rays or other radiation can be modulated with a multi-slit collimator device that includes one or more sets of collimator leaves arranged in a one-dimensional array and individually movable to form slits of variable width between pairs of adjacent collimator leaves. A two-dimensional intensity distribution may be achieved using multiple sets of one-dimensionally arranged leaves, e.g., by stacking them along the beam in different orientations, or by stacking them in a transverse direction to form a two-dimensional array of leaves. In some embodiments, the multi-slit collimator device also serves beam-monitoring purposes.

Adjustable multi-slit collimators

Described are devices, systems, and methods for modulating the spectral energy distribution produced by an x-ray source via control of the energy of the x-ray-generating electron beam, e.g., for energy-modulated radiation therapy or other purposes. In some embodiments, such energy modulation is achieved by an add-on device to a linear accelerator. Also disclosed are computational methods and computer program products for planning energy-modulated therapy.

Technologies for energy-modulated radiation therapy

An optimization technique for use with radiation therapy planning that combines stochastic optimization techniques such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) with deterministic techniques to solve for optimal and reliable locations for delivery of radiation doses to a targeted tumor while minimizing the radiation dose experienced by the surrounding critical structures such as normal tissues and organs.

Optimization methods for radiation therapy planning

A method of calculating radiation fluence and energy deposition distributions on a networked virtual computational cluster is presented. With this method, complex Monte Carlo simulations that require expansive equipment, personnel, and financial resources can be done efficiently and inexpensively by hospitals and clinics requiring radiation therapy dose calculations.

System and methods for performing medical physics calculations

Multiple sources of reviews for the same product or service (e.g. hotels, restaurants, clinics, hair saloon, etc.) are utilized to provide a trustworthiness score. Such a score can clearly identify hotels with evidence of review manipulation, omission and fakery and provide the user with a comprehensive understanding of the reviews of a product or establishment. Three types of information are used in computing the score: spatial, temporal and network or graph-based. The information is blended to produce a representative set of features that can reliably produce the trustworthiness score. The invention is self-adapting to new reviews and sites. The invention also includes a validation mechanism by crowd-sourcing and fake review generation to ensure reliability and trustworthiness of the scoring.

Online review assessment using multiple sources

Provided herein are methods and systems for designing a radiation treatment for a subject using single arc dose painting. The methods and systems comprise an algorithm or a computer-readable product having the same, to plan the radiation treatment. The algorithm converts pairs of multiple leaf collimation (MLC) leaves to sets of leaf aperture sequences that form a shortest path single arc thereof where the pairs of MLC leaves each aligned to an intensity profile of densely-spaced radiation beams, and connects each single arc of leaf apertures to form a final treatment single arc. Also provided is a method for irradiating a tumor in a subject using single arc dose painting.

Single-arc dose painting for precision radiation therapy

Photon-based radiosurgery is widely used for treating local and regional tumors. The key to improving the quality of radiosurgery is to increase the dose falloff rate from high dose regions inside the tumor to low dose regions of nearby healthy tissues and structures. Dynamic photon painting (DPP) further increases dose falloff rate by treating a target by moving a beam source along a dynamic trajectory, where the speed, direction and even dose rate of the beam source change constantly during irradiation. DPP creates dose gradient that rivals proton Bragg Peak and outperforms Gamma Knife&#xae; radiosurgery.

System and methods of photon-based radiotherapy and radiosurgery delivery

The present invention is a method and system for developing a dynamic scheme for Gamma Knife radiosurgery based on the concept of 'dose-painting' to take advantage of robotic patient positioning systems on the Gamma Knife C and Perfexion units. The spherical high dose volume created by the Gamma Knife unit will be viewed as a 3D spherical 'paintbrush', and treatment planning is reduced to finding the best route of this &#x201c;paintbrush&#x201d; to &#x201c;paint&#x201d; a 3D tumor volume. Under the dose-painting concept, Gamma Knife radiosurgery becomes dynamic, where the patient is moving continuously under the robotic positioning system.

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Shuang Luan