WP1: Coordination and project management
WP1 includes the coordination and administrative management of the project. It is concerned with the implementation and monitoring of the management procedures, oversees the project progress, and is responsible for the coordination of reporting procedures. This WP also includes data protection management.
The specific objectives are to:
- Carry out the project management, including the ethical management, to manage and optimise the application of resources and to ensure that the contractual requirements are met.
- Ensure the project management procedures are implemented.
- Coordinate with and report to the European Commission (EC).
WP2: Novel patient dose estimation methods, risk assessment and uncertainty evaluation
The primary objectives of this work package are to:
- Develop novel personalised dosimetry methods and tools
- Estimate the radiation burden to individual patients with suspected or diagnosed brain tumours and lymphomas undergoing radiological, nuclear medicine and radiation therapy procedures for diagnosis, staging, treatment response and follow-up
- Evaluate uncertainties in dose estimations and
- Assess the associated radiation exposure risk and the impact of various uncertainties on patient risk assessment.
WP3: Dose and risk assessment of staff, comforters, the public and the environment
The objective is to reinforce risk appraisal for staff, comforters, the public and the environment exposed during medical procedures in nuclear medicine, including theranostics (NUM), as well as in proton therapy (PT).
The specific objectives of WP3 are to:
- Develop a simulation software tool for optimisation of staff doses in NUM
- Collect and generate new data to estimate the risks of NUM staff
- Assess exposure of comforters in NUM using a novel computational approach
- Simulate the fate and transport of radiopharmaceuticals in the environment
- Evaluate the impact of radionuclide transfer on public and environment
- Document and improve staff doses and current practice in PT.
WP4: Individual sensitivity to radiation
The objectives of WP4 are to determine the degree of intra-, and inter-individual variability for the risk of developing second malignant neoplasms (SMN) after radiotherapy (RT) for lymphoma and brain cancer and to validate functional and genetic biomarkers of susceptibility to SMN.
The specific objectives of WP4 are to:
- Determine the degree of intra-, and inter-individual variability in the level of radiotherapy induced, SMN-related mutations in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of patients with lymphoma and brain cancer.
- Find an in vitro functional test of susceptibility to SMN.
- Find a genetic fingerprint of susceptibility to SMN.
- Review and determine the contribution of genetic and environmental factors that influence the organ-specific risk of SMN and to develop models of risk transfer between patient populations.
WP5: Data collection
Data from imaging and non-imaging examinations and radiation therapy sessions, histologic results and demographic information related to individual patients with lymphoma and brain tumours will be collected and pooled in a shared repository. The repository will be used in developing methods and techniques described in previous WPs for patient-specific dose estimation, risk assessment and uncertainty determination. It will include the capabilities of executing approved AI algorithms on demand developed in other WPs.
The specific objectives of WP6 are to:
- Develop an infrastructure to efficiently store and share the specific data (medical images, RT doses, diagnostic reports, etc.). The platform will fulfil the security and ethical requirements on privacy.
- Develop a framework to integrate, validate and execute efficiently the developed processing AI algorithms.
- Evaluate the feasibility of using the developed algorithms in terms of automated data collection and integration in a radiation dose management solution.
WP6: Education and training
The main aim of WP6 is to organise a sustainable, high-level training in the field of patient and staff radiation dosimetry, radiobiology/radiation sensitivity, radiation risk evaluation and radiation protection applicable to medical imaging and radiation oncology.
Specific aims of WP6 are to:
- Organise education and training activities for PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and trainees supported through SINFONIA.
- Identify gaps and good practices in the dosimetry/radiobiology/radiation protection education for clinicians, medical physicists and other healthcare professionals throughout Europe.
- Create an interactive and multidisciplinary MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on dosimetry/radiobiology/ radiation protection.
WP7: Dissemination and recommendations
WP7 will coordinate communication and dissemination activities of the project and develop recommendations for the best radiation protection practices in cancer care.
WP7 will:
- Develop and iteratively update a Plan for Communication and Dissemination;
- Disseminate the project and its results to international experts, as well as the wider public;
- Promote outreach activities to key stakeholders
- Create a hub for social media to facilitate dissemination and communication of the project results to professionals and the general public
- Develop science-based recommendations on radiological protection