Speaker
Description
With the growing interest in advanced radiotherapy approaches, laser-driven accelerators offer a potential alternative to conventional technologies. At ELI Beamlines, the ELIMAIA–ELIMED beamline has matured into an operational platform capable of delivering multi-shot laser-driven proton (LDP) beams for radiobiological studies. The system, powered by the L3 HAPLS 1 PW laser, currently provides protons with cut-off energies up to ~40 MeV and controlled exposures in the mGy–Gy range. Ongoing developments in stability, transport, and dosimetry continue to enhance its suitability for systematic investigations.
Initial fibroblast experiments showed comparable DNA double-strand break induction between multi-shot and single-shot LDP exposures and conventionally accelerated protons. More recent campaigns target tumor cell lines grown as 3D spheroids, a physiologically more relevant model. These studies examine survival, transcriptional responses, and stress-related protein expression after LDP irradiation, supported by conventional benchmarks. Bulk RNA sequencing has been performed and is under evaluation, while protein assays—including PD-L1, HSP70, and HSP90—are underway to assess changes linked to beam’s temporal structure.
Together, these activities demonstrate that ELIMAIA–ELIMED has transitioned into an actively used, user-ready platform for radiobiological research, offering unique beam characteristics and expanding experimental capabilities for ultrafast-radiobiology studies.
Funding Agency
European Union’s Horizon Europe’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes (MERIT - Grant Agreement No. 101081195)
| Paper status | No proceeding expected for this contribution. |
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