OIST Mini Symposium "New Medical Imaging and Advanced Cancer Therapy (BNCT) Instrumentation"

Summary

Introduction --- New Medical Imaging 
There are many kinds of radiation therapy being operated, but many of them do not have good imaging technique to confirm the right irradiation to the right place. Radiation imaging detector for medical application is one of the keen areas to be explored. OIST Medical Instrumentation including New Imaging and BNCT is targeting to develop a precise and easy-to-use medical imaging system such as the electron tracking Compton camera. Especially, an Okinawa based company is famous in CdTe semiconductor, which is one of the promising materials to detect high-energy X-/gamma-rays.

Introduction --- BNCT
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an innovative cancer treatment procedure, which does not require that the patient suffers of pain or side effects due to surgical operations. BNCT destroys only diseased cancer cells using boron-neutron reaction; it usually provides sufficient treatment with just a single application.

Introduction --- Drug Delivery
Technology of drug delivery is becoming a hot subject in the field of medical research, either in chemical drug or immunotherapy.  Boron chemical must be concentrated in the tumor in BNCT radiation therapy.  We explore the possibility of using soft nanoparticle for this purpose.

Introduction --- Cancer Stem Cells (CSC)
Cancer Stem Cell hypothesis is gaining ground in the field of oncology.  We still need hard work in targeting CSC and in understanding its resilience against all kinds of attacks including chemotherapy, immune and radiation.

OIST Medical Instrumentation including New Imaging, drug delivery, cancer stem cells, and BNCT Objectives
OIST BNCT is aiming to successfully and promisingly introduce a first mass-production/commercial BNCT system to the world, and to develop advanced medical imaging technology necessary to accommodate such development.

To lead OIST Medical Instrumentation including New Imaging, drug delivery, cancer stem cells and BNCT to a success, we have to have all the following components:
(1) radiation imaging system (detector physicists), (2) BNCT system (accelerator physicists), (3) drug delivery system (pharmaceutical companies and chemists), (4) understanding of cancer treatment mechanism on human body (biologists), (5) system operators and engineers, (6) medical doctors and radiation technicians at clinical practice, and (7) understanding of OIST Medical Instrumentation including New Imaging, drug delivery, cancer stem cells and BNCT project as a whole from prospective patients and general public including local government and various industries.

Currently OIST Medical Instrumentation including New Imaging, drug delivery, cancer stem cells and BNCT is still at its early stage of planning (1st year of the 5-year project); the Project members have talked and listened to experts from different fields of study to deepen our own knowledge this year. It is time for all the researchers associating and collaborating with the Project to meet with each other, learn and gather the knowledge at once, before advancing to the next stage. It is our mission to introduce OIST Medical Instrumentation including New Imaging, drug delivery, cancer stem cells, and BNCT to others, including the OIST Community, and gain their understanding and cooperation at this time.

Invited Speakers (in alphabetical order)
Teruhito Aihara, University of Tsukuba, Japan
Nobuyoshi Fukumitsu, University of Tsukuba, Japan
Shoji Kawahito, Shizuoka University, Japan
Hiroaki Kumada, University of Tsukuba, Japan
Shin-ichi Kurokawa, KEK, Japan 
Akira Matsumura, University of Tsukuba Hospital, Japan
Minoru Suzuki, Kyoto University, Japan
Tadayuki Takahashi, JAXA, Japan
Kazunori Kataoka, University of Tokyo, Japan
Gary Royle, University College London/University College London Hospital, U.K.
Hideyuki Saya, Keio University, Japan
Fuyuhiko Tamanoi, University of California, Los Angeles, U.S.
Rieko Ohki, National Cancer Center, Japan
Takafumi Toita, University of the Ryukyus, Japan
Amy Shen, OIST, Japan
(This list is subject to change. Thank you in advance for your understanding.)

Main organizer
Hirotaka Sugawara, Advanced Medical Instrumentation Unit, OIST

Co-organizers
Masakazu Yoshioka, KEK, Japan 
Yasuo Higashi, OIST
Yasuo Arai, KEK, Japan
Fumiko Suzuki, OIST (Secretariat)

Program
For the latest program, please see attachment*. (program last updated 2015/4/28) 
(The program is subject to change. Thank you in advance for your understanding.)
*OIST internal memo: If viewing from TIDA, please view this event on https://groups.oist.jp/cws/event/oist-mini-symposium-new-medical-imaging-and-advanced-cancer-therapy-bnct-instrumentation)

Abstracts
Please find talk abstracts attached.* 
(All abstracts are subject to change. Thank you in advance for your understanding.)
*OIST internal memo: If viewing from TIDA, please view this event on https://groups.oist.jp/cws/event/oist-mini-symposium-new-medical-imaging-and-advanced-cancer-therapy-bnct-instrumentation)