At the Bertolet Lab, nestled within the Division of Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, we are always on the lookout for passionate and dedicated students who share our enthusiasm for advancing the field of radiation therapy and modeling in cancer care. Short-term Visits for Ph.D….
Microdosimetry is an essential technique for understanding and improving the effectiveness of radiation therapy and radiopharmaceutical treatments for cancer. Microdosimetry helps predict DNA damage, cell killing, and other biological effects by analyzing how radiation energy is distributed on a microscopic scale. This information is vital in optimizing advanced therapies like proton and alpha-targeted therapy. Moreover,…
Our lab has received three Travel Awards to attend the 2023 International Congress for Radiation Research to be held in Montreal on August 27-30. Alejandro Bertolet has received one in the category of Early Career Investigator (ECI), whereas Carlos Huesa-Berral and Louis Kunz have received two trainee awards for their top-scored abstracts on the MIDOS…
We are thrilled to announce that we held our first meeting yesterday with the University of Pennsylvania, marking the commencement of an inspiring collaboration. Our teams are eager to dedicate their expertise towards a crucial R01 project: “Optimizing theranostic radiopharmaceutical therapy to combat resistance to PARP inhibition in advanced ovarian cancer.” This collaboration is a…
Our postdoctoral fellow, Carlos Huesa Berral, has been awarded with the ‘Best-In-Physics’ distinction at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) annual conference, which will take place in Houston, TX, next July. This meeting is one of the biggest and most important in Medical Physics in the world, and Carlos’ outstanding work on MIDOS,…
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We recently developed a groundbreaking tool named MIDOS, aimed at revolutionizing liver cancer treatment through Transarterial Radioembolization (TARE). TARE is an innovative procedure where radioactive microspheres are injected into the liver’s arterial supply to target and destroy liver tumors while sparing healthy tissue. However, optimizing this treatment for each individual patient has remained a challenge…
Simulating the diffusion of alpha-particle emitters in decay chains, such as Ra224, using the TOPAS toolkit is crucial for understanding the underlying mechanisms of diffusive alpha radiotherapy (DART). This process can result in daughter particles, like Pb-212, traveling millimeters away from the initial source, impacting the distribution of radiation dose. Accurate Monte Carlo-based dose calculations…
Developing tumor models that simulate dynamics and evolution, including the effects of angiogenesis, radiation-induced vascular damage, interstitial pressure, extracellular factors, and cell-scale interactions, is essential in cancer research. By considering the complex interplay between various cell subpopulations and microenvironmental factors, these models provide a comprehensive understanding of tumor growth and treatment response. This enhanced understanding…
Simulating in vitro experiments under realistic conditions is crucial in radiopharmaceutical research, and Monte Carlo techniques using the TOPAS toolkit can provide valuable insights. These simulations account for changing exposure conditions due to binding affinity, internalization, secretion, physical decay, and cell-washing procedures. By closely mimicking actual experimental conditions, Monte Carlo simulations can help researchers study…
