Context
Radionuclide Targeted Therapy (TRT) or molecular radiotherapy makes use of a radiopharmaceutical (radioactive drug) that targets cancer cells. Radiopharmaceuticals typically consist of a radionuclide combined with a cell-targeting molecule that seeks and destroys cancer cells. Assessing the in vivo biodistribution of the drug prior to the treatment is a key challenge in TRT. It may be performed with pre-treatment image acquired by using the same drug but with a different radionuclide, allowing SPECT or PET images (Indium-111, Technetium-99m, Gallium-68 etc). However, absolute quantification in SPECT imaging remains a big challenge: scattering, absorption, patient motion, detector response, limited resolution and reconstruction parameters strongly affect the absolute quantification results. In that context, Monte-Carlo simulations have proved to be of large interest in order to assess and validate quantification methods.
Team 4 at CREATIS / Centre Leon-Bérard is working on several nuclear medicine clinical trials, such as Yttrium-90 radioembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma. A protocol has been developed to obtain quantitative results and reliable dosimetry based on many experimental data. Moreover, our group has several years of expertise in Monte-Carlo (MC) simulations of particle-matter interactions. We are deeply involved in the OpenGate international collaboration that provides and supports the Gate Monte-Carlo software, very useful in medical physics.
The training student will work with a multidisciplinary team composed of medical physicist, nuclear medicine physician and researchers.
Goal
The goal of this master thesis period will be to design, run and analyze SPECT Monte-Carlo simulation with the Gate Monte-Carlo software in order to evaluate our quantification method.
Task
The training student will perform MC simulations and participate to imaging experiments (SPECT). Analysis and comparison of the simulated and experimental data will allow to:
- Evaluate energy, linearity and uniformity correction factor of the gamma camera
- Validate the experimental values of corrective factors used in the quantification method
Details
- Prerequisites: background in physics, medical physics, SPECT imaging and computer sciences.
- Language: English or French fluent
- Period: according to the master, about 6 months
- Location: Centre Leon-Bérard, Lyon, FRANCE, Creatis Team
- Compensation: about 550€/month
Supervisors
- Thomas Cajgfinger, postdoctoral fellow, thomas.cajgfinger@creatis.insa-lyon.fr
- Adrien Halty, PhD student, adrien.halty@creatis.insa-lyon.fr
- Jean-Noel Badel, Medical Physicist, jeannoel.badel@lyon.unicancer.fr
- David Sarrut, directeur de recherche CNRS, david.sarrut@creatis.insa-lyon.fr