New software brings proven Monte Carlo based dose calculation to small animal lab research
NORTH BRANFORD, Conn., May 14, 2013 – Precision X-Ray Inc. (PXi), the leader in biological specimen cabinet irradiators and radiation research systems, announced today that the Bethesda, Md.-based National Institutes of Health has purchased the recently introduced SmART-Plan (Small Animal RadioTherapy Plan) treatment planning system for the X-Rad 225Cx Small Animal Image Guided RadioTherapy (IGRT) system. It is the first system sold in the U. S. and only the second installed in North America following the test installation at the Princess Margaret Hospital affiliated Spatio-Temporal Targeting and Radiation Research (STTARR) lab in Toronto, Canada.
Developed in collaboration with Maastro Clinic, one of Europe's leading cancer centers, SmART-Plan is the industry’s first and most-advanced precision treatment planning software created specifically for small animal research using the X-RAD 225Cx IGRT system.
“SmART-Plan was developed in collaboration with leading global experts on small animal IGRT and Monte Carlo based dose calculations,” said Paul De Jean, project manager, Image Guided Systems, Precision X-Ray, Inc. “This is an advanced yet affordable treatment planning tool for use in translational research, with dose visualization tools typically found only in clinical treatment planning software.”
According to professor Frank Verhaegen, head of clinical physics research at Maastro Clinic and SmART Plan development team leader, “SmART-Plan is based on a detailed Monte Carlo model of the animal irradiator which enables unprecedented accurate dose calculations in animals for pre-clinical research.”
“SmART-Plan enables us to generate radiation treatment plans with an accurate understanding of the full 3D dose distribution,” said Patricia Lindsay, Ph.D., clinical medical physicist at Princess Margaret Hospital and assistant professor at STTARR. “It is a valuable tool in enhancing our ability to perform preclinical radiobiological experiments that closely replicate clinical radiation therapy techniques.”
SmART-Plan provides a modularized graphical user interface (GUI) to assist in the planning of complex 3-D conformal radiation treatments of small animals. Calculation of 3-D dose distributions are performed using Monte Carlo simulation techniques used in clinics around the world.
Beam placement and dose visualization tools allow simulated beams to be overlaid onto the CT images for better visualization and more accurate planning. Treatment Planning, Monte Carlo Simulation, Dose Visualization, and Plan Export to the X-RAD 225Cx IGRT platform are all included in this advanced yet cost-effective solution. For a video demonstration, please visit http://pxinc.com/resources/#smart-plan.
About Precision X-Ray
North Branford, Connecticut, based Precision X-Ray (PXi) is the leader in small-animal cabinet irradiators and radiotherapy research systems worldwide. PXi provides easy-to-operate, reliable, safe and cost-effective X-ray imaging and X-ray irradiation systems for applications in translational, industrial, and pharmaceutical research. The company actively develops new applications in these markets and designs new equipment to meet customer applications needs.
Customers of Precision X-Ray include prestigious hospitals, medical schools, universities, pharmaceutical manufacturers, government and major independent research facilities around the globe. For more information, please visit www.pxinc.com or call 203.484.2011.
Contact:
Francis Onofrio
203.393.1101, Ext. 169
[email protected]