Proton FLASH requires dedicated reassessment of shielding, activation and radiation safety
Five proton centres outline why conventional radiation protection workflows cannot simply be assumed adequate for ultra-high dose-rate FLASH research.
Five proton centres outline why conventional radiation protection workflows cannot simply be assumed adequate for ultra-high dose-rate FLASH research.
Bragg peak FLASH achieved high ultra-high-dose-rate coverage with similar target coverage to conventional IMPT, but produced higher target and CNS hotspots.
FLASH protons largely preserved ocular structure and retinal function after 24 Gy while maintaining short-term tumor control in mice.
Hybrid ultra-high and conventional dose-rate irradiation retained FLASH sparing in mice, but protection diminished as the ultra-high-rate dose contribution decreased.
Hollow 3D-printed proton collimators and compensators were produced within 45 minutes and accurately shaped small experimental proton fields.
Both dose rates increased mitochondrial respiration after irradiation, with no clear FLASH-specific mitochondrial phenotype under normoxic conditions.
Ultra-high dose-rate protons produced fewer DNA breaks at low scavenger concentration, but the effect diminished or reversed under other experimental conditions.
TLD-100 over-responded below 7 Gy/s and under-responded above 300 Gy/s, despite remaining dose-independent from 3 to 18 Gy.
Electron FLASH changed DNA-damage, transcriptomic, cytokine, and microtubule responses but did not alter clonogenic survival under normoxic conditions.
Preclinical lung studies support normal-tissue sparing, but uncertain biological thresholds, dose conformity, and respiratory motion still prevent clinical implementation.
In 10 recurrent glioblastoma replans, Bragg peak proton FLASH improved conformity and reduced estimated beam delivery from approximately 17 minutes to under two seconds.
FLASH preserved corneal thickness and collagen organization better than conventional irradiation at 10 and 15 Gy, but protection weakened at 20 Gy.
FLASH spared mitochondrial integrity in non-tumorigenic pancreatic models while producing tumour effects comparable with conventional-dose-rate irradiation.
In mice, FLASH reduced acute chemokine and later macrophage-associated transcription versus conventional irradiation, without significantly reducing collagen deposition.
A thick gas electron multiplier air chamber showed strong dose linearity under conventional and ultra-high dose rate conditions.