AQURE
The AQURE intraoperative accelerator is a device for intraoperative therapy constructed as part of the project "Creation in the Greater Poland Cancer Center in Poznań. M. Curie-Skłodowska the possibility of implementing the intraoperative irradiation procedure using an innovative electron accelerator" by a consortium of three entities: Centrum Wysokich Technologii in Świerk" HITEC ŚWIERK "Sp. z o.o., National Center for Nuclear Research, Greater Poland Cancer Center as part of the Regional Program of the Marshal's Office of the Wielkopolska Province.
As part of many years of cooperation, a demnstrator was created, then a prototype called IntraLine, and the final version of the device will soon start working at the Greater Poland Cancer Center.
The features of the new IntraLine accelerator include:
- A high mobility treatment head, which is installed on a robotic arm assembly that allows doctors to freely choose the direction to administer irradiation. The robot is installed on a motorized platform that can be moved easily between operating rooms,
- An energy range of 4 to 12 MeV, which makes it possible to irradiate tissue effectively up to a depth of 4 cm,
- A high dose rate of irradiation – up to 10 Gy/min – which makes it possible to completely irradiate the affected area in less than 2 minutes,
- Electron applicators available in diameters from 3 cm to 12 cm, which allows the doctors to choose the applicator that to most compatible with area of the patient’s body that is to be treated,
- Treatment head construction that is compatible with non-cylindrical applicators, which can be attached to treatment head using either “soft” or “hard” docking technology, depending on the doctor’s preferences, and
- A fully automatic, easy to use a beam control system.