PROJECT ORGANISATION
The project will extend over a period of 4 years and will be divided in 6 work packages (WP), briefly described below:
WP1- Project Coordination (WP convener: Johanna KABADANIAN, UnivMed)
This WP comprises all activities related to the administrative, management and financial issues of the project, liaison with the EC, as well as its scientific follow-up such as gathering the information from the different WPs to produce the Technical Specification Document needed for the good monitoring of the project or ensuring the respect of the relevant ethical rules.. It will be also dealing with all activities needed for adequate dissemination & exploitation of the project results, including intellectual property.
WP2- Crystals and optics (WP convener: Etiennette AUFFRAY, CERN)
The 1st critical component in a TOF-PET system is the crystal. The maximum rate of optical photons must be produced per incident gamma -ray and the light must be transported with the highest efficiency to the photodetector. This WP will identify the best crystal, define its optimal shape and optimize its parameters and production technology to best fit the technical requirements of the project. Another task will specifically concentrate on the transfer optics from the crystal to the photodetector by means of diffractive optics components or microlenses.
WP3- Photodetector (WP convener: Edouardo CHARBON, Delft TU)
The 2nd critical component in a TOF-PET system is the photodetector. It requires a high gain, good spectral sensitivity and ultrafast response time. The role of this WP is to adapt novel photodetector concepts based on Silicon PhotoMultiplier (SiPM) to the specifications of the EndoTOFPET probe.
WP4- Front End (FE) and Data Acquisition (DAQ) electronics (WP convener: Joao VARELA, LIP)
The 3rd critical component in the chain is the electronics. Ultrafast timing requires low noise and high speed front-end electronics. Moreover the DAQ architecture must be compatible with a high acquisition rate of complex information and a high level of integration. This WP will adapt electronic designs at the cutting edge of the technology developed in particular for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN.
WP5- Detector integration (WP convener: Erika GARUTTI, University of Hamburg and DESY)
This WP is dealing with the mechanical and software integration of the system, which will be treated in two separate tasks. The mechanical integration is particularly delicate due to the miniaturization of a multi-component system with the endoscopic constraints. The software integration requires also a particular attention because of the complexity related to the required very good timing resolution combined to the necessity to track on-line the relative positions of the endoscopic and external PET detectors.
WP6- Clinical requirements, preclinical and pilot clinical studies (WP convener: Markus SCHWAIGER, TUM NuK)
This WP will define the user's requirements in view of the clinical use of the EndoTOFPET-US probe for a number of clinical indications, which will be defined and detailed in the frame of the project. This will include definition of biomarkers that will profit from the new technique. A preclinical evaluation of the performance of the device will be made on pigs, followed, if successful, by a first pilot studies on humans.
