PhD thesis defense in physical sciences by Andrea SCARMELOTTO

  • When Jun 27, 2025 from 05:00 PM to 08:00 PM (Europe/Brussels / UTC200)
  • Where UNamur, L12 auditorium
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The FLASH effect in 2D and 3D in vitro models upon proton irradiation

Candidate

Andrea SCARMELOTTO

Promoter

Prof. Stéphane LUCAS, UNamur, Department of physics, Physics of Matter and Radiation (PMR), Laboratory of Analysis by Nuclear Reaction (LARN)

Jury
  • Prof. Lucas Stéphane, University of Namur LARN-NARILIS, Namur, Belgium (thesis supervisor)
  • Prof. Michiels Carine, University of Namur, URBC-NARILIS, Namur, Belgium
  • Prof. Balligand Thomas, University of Namur, URPhyM-NARILIS, Namur, Belgium (president of the jury)
  • Dr. Fernandez-Palomo Cristian, University of Bern, Institute of Anatomy, Bern, Switzerland
  • Dr. Penninckx Sebastien, Institute Jules Bordet, ULB, Brussels, Belgium
  • Dr. Labarbe Rudi, Ion Beam Application, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
Summary

Radiotherapy is widely used in cancer treatment but is limited by its harmful effects on healthy tissues. Ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) irradiation, known for the FLASH effect, shows promise in reducing damage to normal tissues compared to conventional dose rates (CONV). This study used in vitro models, including tumor spheroids and normal cells, to investigate the biological impact of proton irradiation at UHDR. Results showed that UHDR and CONV were similarly effective in slowing tumor growth, but UHDR caused less apoptosis in normal cells at early time points. These findings support the potential of UHDR to spare healthy tissue while maintaining effective tumor control.

 

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