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Multiscale Radiobiological Assessment of Laser-Driven Very High Energy Electrons Versus Conventional Electrons
Camilla Giaccaglia1,2, Emilie Bayart1, Maxime Dubail2
1Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée (LOA), CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, ENSTA, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, France.
Advances in Radiation Oncology
|May 25, 2026
Summary
This study compared laser-driven very high energy electrons (VHEE) with conventional electrons (CIEE), finding similar biological toxicity across cellular, tissue, and organismal models. These results support the potential of VHEE for clinical applications.
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Radiation Biology
- Laser-Plasma Acceleration
Background:
- Laser-plasma accelerators (LPAs) offer a novel method for generating very high energy electrons (VHEE).
- Understanding the radiobiological effects of VHEE is crucial for evaluating their clinical potential.
- Conventional intermediate energy electrons (CIEE) from linear accelerators are the current standard in radiation therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate and compare the radiobiological effects and toxicity of VHEE and CIEE.
- To evaluate VHEE and CIEE across in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models.
- To assess the feasibility of VHEE generated by LPAs for future clinical applications.
Main Methods:
- In vitro: Assessed cell viability of human fibroblasts (MRC5-hTERT) post-irradiation with VHEE and CIEE.
- Ex vivo: Analyzed radiation-induced inhibition of cell replication in mouse precision-cut lung slices.
- In vivo: Evaluated developmental toxicity in zebrafish embryos, measuring body length and spinal curvature.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in radiosensitivity was observed between VHEE and CIEE in vitro.
- Both VHEE and CIEE induced dose-dependent decreases in cell division ex vivo, with no significant inter-beam differences.
- Zebrafish embryos showed comparable dose-dependent developmental toxicity (body shortening, spinal curvature) for both VHEE and CIEE.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first multiscale radiobiological evaluation of laser-driven VHEE.
- Under the investigated conditions, VHEE and CIEE exhibit similar biological toxicity.
- Findings support the potential of VHEE generated by LPAs for future clinical use in radiation therapy.
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