Custom-designed Small Animal focal iRradiation Jig (SARJ): design, manufacture and dosimetric evaluation

Preclinical animal models allow testing and refinement of novel therapeutic strategies. The most common preclinical animal irradiators are fixed source cabinet irradiators, which are vastly inferior to clinical linear accelerators capable of delivering highly conformal and precise treatments. The purpose of this study was to design, manufacture and test an irradiation jig (small animal focal irradiation jig, SARJ) that would enable focal irradiation of subcutaneous tumours in a standard fixed source cabinet irradiator.

A lead shielded SARJ was designed to rotate animal holders about the longitudinal axis and slide vertically from the base plate. Radiation dosimetry was undertaken using the built-in ion chamber and GAFChromic RTQA2 and EBT-XD films. Treatment effectiveness was determined by irradiating mice with subcutaneous melanoma lesions using a dose of 36 Gy in three fractions (12 Gy x 3) over three consecutive days.

The SARJ was tested for X-ray shielding effectiveness, verification of dose rate, total dose delivered to tumour and dose uniformity. Accurate and uniform delivery of X-ray dose was achieved. X-ray doses were limited to the tumour site when animal holders were rotated around their longitudinal axis to 15^o and 195^o, allowing sequential dose delivery using parallel-opposed tangential beams. Irradiation of subcutaneous melanoma tumour established on the flanks of mice showed regression.

SARJ enabled delivery of tangential parallel-opposed radiation beams to subcutaneous tumours in up to five mice simultaneously. SARJ allowed high throughput testing of clinically relevant dose delivery using a standard cabinet-style fixed source irradiator.

A custom designed jig has been manufactured to fit into conventional cabinet irradiators and is dosimetrically validated to deliver clinically relevant dose distributions to subcutaneous tumours in mice for preclinical studies.