National Institutes for Quantum & Radiological Science & Tech

STOCKHOLM, April 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ) announces that QST, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology in Chiba, Japan, has selected the treatment planning system RayStation®* for clinical use at the QST hospital. The order was received and delivered in the first quarter of 2024. Already in 2018 RaySearch and NIRS (today known as QST) entered a partnership, including a long-term licensing agreement that enabled RaySearch to integrate the microdosimetric kinetic model (MKM) developed at NIRS, into the RayStation treatment planning system. This was followed by a research collaboration agreement in 2022, with focus on advancing ion beam therapy via the pencil beam scanning technique. The aim of the researchers from RaySearch and NIRS was to explore areas such as radiobiological modeling of ion-beam irradiation and dose fractionation, robust beam delivery and plan optimization algorithms. QST's purchase of RayStation is a logical step and manifests the long and fruitful research collaboration. Some of the advanced technologies included are multicriteria optimization, deformable image registration, dose tracking over multiple treatments and adaptive radiotherapy. Ion beam therapy is a highly advanced form of radiation therapy in which tumors are treated with protons or heavier ions such as helium or carbon. NIRS pioneered the clinical application of ion beam therapy during the 1990s and today, QST is a leading center for carbon ion therapy with more than 15,000 patients who have been treated at the HIMAC facility in Chiba. In 2016 an expansion from two to three treatment rooms for delivery of pencil beam scanning plans was completed, where the third room has the additional capability of a rotating gantry. Dr Shigeru Yamada, former Director General of QST Hospital, says: "We are very pleased to have RayStation which will expand our research capabilities and also improve our ability to treat patients with high precision." Johan Löf, founder and CEO, RaySearch, says: "We look forward to continuing our long and close collaboration with QST, to bring new solutions with speed, efficiency and optimization to healthcare providers around the world who are at the forefront of fighting cancer." The order value is JPY 265 million (approximately SEK 18.6 million), excluding service contract, most of which will be recognized as revenue in the first quarter of 2024. For more information, please contact: Johan Löf, founder and CEO, RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ) Telephone: +46 (0) 8 510 530 00 [email protected] *Subject to regulatory clearance in some markets This information was brought to you by Cision The following files are available for download: SOURCE RaySearch Laboratories

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the aggregation of alpha-synuclein in the brain. Now, scientists have developed a radioligand that facilitates the imaging of alpha-synuclein aggregates in patients with MSA. Their findings have the potential to completely change the scenario of diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases. Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the aggregation of α-synuclein in the brain. Now, scientists from Japan, in collaboration with three pharmaceutical companies, have developed a radioligand that facilitates the imaging of α-synuclein aggregates in patients with MSA. Their findings have the potential to completely change the scenario of diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases. α-synuclein is a neuronal protein involved in functions like vesicle trafficking and neurotransmitter release. It is typically found in abundance in a healthy brain. However, the aggregation of α-synuclein has been closely linked to several neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy (or MSA), and Lewy body dementia. MSA is a movement disorder that also affects the autonomic nervous system, which controls essential functions such as movement, breathing, and digestion. Thus, the imaging of α-synuclein aggregates in vivo (or directly in a living organism), could be a potential diagnostic confirmation of MSA. However, the road to the live imaging of α-synuclein has been marred with obstacles, including the lack of sensitive imaging agents. Now, a collaborative effort by researchers from the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, including Dr. Makoto Higuchi and Dr. Kiwamu Matsuoka from the Quantum Life and Medical Science Directorate, Institute for Quantum Medical Science has completely changed the scenario with three pharmaceutical companies -- Eisai Co., Ltd., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. They have successfully visualized α-synuclein aggregates in the brains of patients. To achieve this feat, the team developed a radioligand, 18F-SPAL-T-06, to be used as a probe for positron emission tomography (PET). "The pre-competitive collaboration between a research institute and three pharmaceutical companies enabled us to develop the radioligand, 18F-SPAL-T-06, for the in vivo imaging of α-synuclein aggregates," says Dr. Higuchi, crediting teamwork for their success. The team's findings have been published in the journal Movement Disorders. Prior to the clinical assessments, in vitro studies on the binding properties of 18F-SPAL-T-06 had been conducted on the postmortem brain tissue of patients with MSA and healthy individuals, showing promising results. For the first-in-human imaging studies, the researchers enrolled three patients who were clinically diagnosed with MSA and one 72-year-old healthy control (HC). Among the three patients with MSA, two were identified as having MSA with predominant Parkinsonism (MSA-P) and one with MSA with predominant cerebellar ataxia (MSA-C). PET scans with 18F-SPAL-T-06 was performed on all the patients and specific binding was estimated by the radioligand retention in the tissue. "Remarkably, we observed enhanced 18F-SPAL-T-06 retention in the putamen, pons, and cerebellar white matter and peduncles of the patients with MSA-P and MSA-C, in sharp contrast to minimal radio signals in the corresponding areas in the brain of the HC," explains Dr. Higuchi. The researchers also found that 18F-SPAL-T-06 has a high affinity for MSA-type α-synuclein aggregates and that it does not cross-react with other off-target components, indicating its high specificity and consequent potential use as a probe for MSA diagnosis. With respect to the long-term applications of their work, Dr. Higuchi and Dr. Matsuoka share: "We are encouraged by our findings, and investigations into the visualization of α-synuclein aggregates in other α-synucleinopathies are currently underway."

Quantum clocks are shrinking, thanks to new technologies. A team of quantum physicists have devised new approaches that not only reduce the size of their clock, but also make it robust enough to be transported out of the laboratory and employed in the ‘real world’. Quantum clocks are shrinking, thanks to new technologies developed at the University of Birmingham-led UK Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Timing Working in collaboration with and partly funded by the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), a team of quantum physicists have devised new approaches that not only reduce the size of their clock, but also make it robust enough to be transported out of the laboratory and employed in the 'real world'. Quantum -- or atomic -- clocks are widely seen as essential for increasingly precise approaches to areas such as online communications across the world, navigation systems, or global trading in stocks, where fractions of seconds could make a huge economic difference. Atomic clocks with optical clock frequencies can be 10,000 times more accurate than their microwave counterparts, opening up the possibility of redefining the standard (SI) unit of measurement. Even more advanced optical clocks could one day make a significant difference both in everyday life and in fundamental science. By allowing longer periods between needing to resynchronise than other kinds of clock, they offer increased resilience for national timing infrastructure and unlock future positioning and navigation applications for autonomous vehicles. The unparalleled accuracy of these clocks can also help us see beyond standard models of physics and understand some of the most mysterious aspects of the universe, including dark matter and dark energy. Such clocks will also help to address fundamental physics questions such as whether the fundamental constants are really 'constants' or they are varying with time Lead researcher, Dr Yogeshwar Kale, said: "The stability and precision of optical clocks make them crucial to many future information networks and communications. Once we have a system that is ready for use outside the laboratory, we can use them, for example, on -ground navigation networks where all such clocks are connected via optical fibre and started talking with each other. Such networks will reduce our dependence on GPS systems, which can sometimes fail. "These transportable optical clocks not only will help to improve geodetic measurements -- the fundamental properties of the Earth's shape and gravity variations -- but will also serve as precursors to monitor and identify geodynamic signals like earthquakes and volcanoes at early stages." Although such quantum clocks are advancing rapidly, key barriers to deploying them are their size -- current models come in a van or in a car trailer and are about 1500 litres -- and their sensitivity to environmental conditions limiting their transport between different places. The Birmingham team, based within the UK Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Timing, have come up with a solution that addresses both of these challenges in a package that is a 'box' of about 120 litres that weighs less than 75 kg. The work is published in Quantum Science and Technology. A spokesperson for Dstl added: "Dstl sees optical clock technology as a key enabler of future capabilities for the Ministry of Defence. These kinds of clocks have the potential to shape the future by giving national infrastructure increased resilience and changing the way communication and sensor networks are designed. With Dstl's support, the University of Birmingham have made significant progress in miniaturising many of the subsystems of an optical lattice clock, and in doing so overcame many significant engineering challenges. We look forward to seeing what further progress they can make in this exciting and fast-moving field." The clocks work by using lasers to both produce and then measure quantum oscillations in atoms. These oscillations can be measured highly accurately and, from the frequency, it is possible to also measure the time. A challenge is minimising the outside influences on the measurements, such as mechanical vibrations and electromagnetic interference. To do that, the measurements must take place within a vacuum and with minimal external interference. At the heart of the new design is an ultra-high vacuum chamber, smaller than any yet used in the field of quantum time-keeping. This chamber can be used to trap the atoms and then cool them down very close to the 'absolute zero' value so they reach a state where they can be used for precision quantum sensors. The team demonstrated that they could capture nearly 160 thousand ultra-cold atoms within the chamber in less than a second. Furthermore, they showed they could transport the system over 200 km, before setting it up to be ready to take measurements in less than 90 minutes. The system was able to survive a rise in temperature of 8 degrees above room temperature during the journey. Dr Kale, added: "We've been able to show a robust and resilient system, that can be transported and set up rapidly by a single trained technician. This brings us a step closer to seeing these highly precise quantum instruments being used in challenging settings outside a laboratory environment."