Research
Our work spans clinical outcomes modelling, motion management in proton therapy, and image-guided patient positioning. Below you will find an overview of current and past research areas, with links to projects and publications.
Current
Clinical outcomes modelling
Current focusWe develop and validate predictive models of treatment response and normal tissue toxicity in patients treated with proton therapy. By integrating dosimetric data, quantitative imaging biomarkers, and clinical follow-up, we aim to understand the biological mechanisms underlying treatment outcomes and support therapeutic decisions. Current work focuses on statistical modelling of treatment response, integrating radiomic feature extraction, habitat imaging, and mixed-effects models applied to longitudinal patient data for both tumour response and normal tissue complications.
Past activities
4D imaging & treatment of moving targets
Past activityTumours in the thorax and abdomen move with every breath, posing a fundamental challenge for the precision of proton therapy. Our work addressed this problem through the development of 4D imaging pipelines, real-time tumour tracking, and adaptive delivery strategies for pencil beam scanning. This body of work produced new tools for motion capture and characterisation, 4D dose calculation, and beam delivery optimisation.
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Image-guided patient positioning
Past activityAccurate patient positioning is a prerequisite for precise radiation delivery. We developed and translated into clinical use an imaging system based on an industrial robot manipulator carrying a C-arm detector, enabling 2D/3D registration from radiograph pairs and CBCT-based patient alignment at the CNAO facility in Pavia. In a subsequent project at PSI, we extended this registration approach to topogram imaging acquired with a sliding CT, calibrating the system for 2D/3D registration using CT scout pairs, an effective solution for daily patient alignment in proton therapy.
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