The Generalitat Funds Innovative Software for Treating Large Tumours Using 'Lattice' Technique

The Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, led by Marián Cano, is funding through Ivace+i Innovation the development of a strategy to combat cancer. This strategy is based on a new software tool that optimises the precision and distribution of high-energy radiation beams to destroy tumour cells.

Currently, radiotherapy offers considerable precision when applied to the tumour. To achieve this, radiation doses are carefully planned to destroy the lesion without damaging the surrounding healthy tissues. However, when tumours are large or near vital organs, it becomes challenging to deliver an effective dose without causing particularly harmful side effects to the surrounding tissues.

The 'Lattice' project, funded by the European Union (EU) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the Valencian Community for the period 2021-2027, aims to adequately address the treatment of these tumours.

This initiative proposes a different approach from the traditional one. Instead of treating the entire tumour equally, higher doses of radiation are applied to small internal areas, while the rest of the lesion receives a reduced dose. The technique used allows for the optimised distribution of high radiation doses within the tumour using automatic algorithms. The goal is to improve treatment precision and minimise damage to surrounding healthy tissues.

The new 'grid' or 'mesh' distribution, which corresponds to the name 'Lattice', aims to activate a chain biological response affecting the entire tumour. This results in a more effective treatment without increasing side effects. Ultimately, the project adapts the radiation to the shape and size of the tumour, reduces potential toxicity in healthy tissues, and personalises the treatment by adjusting it to the specific characteristics of each patient and their condition. These optimisations enhance the overall treatment efficacy.

The project's differential value lies in its comprehensive and technological approach to a challenge inherent in radiotherapy: planning the treatment of large tumours. The applied software not only introduces innovation in healthcare services but also positively impacts the entire radiotherapy value chain.

Regarding the implemented advancements, 'Lattice' improves treatment planning by increasing its precision and reducing the need for additional interventions. The implemented innovations thus enhance clinical outcomes.

On the other hand, side effects are minimised thanks to better personalisation and localisation of the dose, which increases the patient's quality of life and reduces costs associated with medical complications.

Finally, the tool fosters continuous innovation in the field of cancer. With considerable potential in research and development, 'Lattice' can serve as a basis for future improvements in radiotherapy.

The 'Lattice' project is led and coordinated by the Biomedical Group Ascires, which handles clinical tasks by providing a team of engineers and radiation oncologists with extensive experience in oncology diagnosis and treatment. Ascires professionals contribute from clinical research of key variables to the acquisition and subsequent processing of medical images.

Their work includes disseminating the knowledge generated during the initiative and validating the developed software. Ascires has over 40 years of experience in precision diagnosis, combining imaging diagnosis with genetic diagnosis, allowing for a comprehensive and accurate evaluation of the disease to be treated.

The 'Lattice' project collaborates with the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) through researcher David Moratal, a professor in Medical Imaging and Electronics, and director of the Biomedical Image Analysis Group at the Centre for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering. Moratal's group brings expertise in biomedical image processing and analysis, image physics, magnetic resonance data acquisition and reconstruction, as well as the development of new methods and applications in medical imaging. The group focuses particularly on magnetic resonance.

'Lattice' involves the participation of Vicomtech, a technology centre specialising in virtual reality, augmented reality, and advanced technologies applied to the medical field. This centre will contribute to the design and development of tools that will optimise radiotherapy planning and treatment.

Additionally, it will be responsible for integrating these resources into the simulation platform where the pilot test for the 'Lattice' project will be conducted. Finally, the Vicomtech group will leverage its expertise to ensure that the developed solutions are suitable for individuals with functional diversity.

The preliminary results of the 'Lattice' project will be presented next July at the IEEE's Annual International Conference of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), the world's most important scientific congress in this field. Specifically, the work 'Automated Algorithm Based on the Lattice Technique for High-Dose Sphere Distribution in Radiotherapy', developed by researchers Mario Muñoz-Escobar, Jorge Rafael Pastor-Peidro, Rodolfo Augusto Chicas-Sett, José Manuel Santabárbara, and David Moratal within the Joint Research Unit Ascires-UPV, will be presented.

'Lattice' aligns with the objectives of the Strategic Innovation Committee CEIE in Health. Specifically, it addresses the challenge of optimising surgical processes to make them less invasive and with fewer associated side effects. Furthermore, the solution fits within the main axes of the Smart Specialisation Strategy of the Valencian Community, S3, coordinated by the Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism.