Henrique Trombini
@ufcspa.edu.br
Departamento de Ciências Exatas e Sociais Aplicadas
Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Radiation, Instrumentation, Cancer Research, Multidisciplinary
FUTURE PROJECTS
Evaluation and optimization of radiation exposure in radiodiagnosis using Monte Carlo simulations and clinical data.
Exposure to ionizing radiation in radiodiagnostic procedures is a growing concern, especially in highly complex contexts such as interventional radiology. This project aims to evaluate and optimize radiation dose in different radiodiagnostic modalities, with an emphasis on interventional procedures performed on adult and pediatric patients. To this end, typical dose values (TDs) will be determined from the analysis of dosimetric descriptors collected in a large university hospital, according to ICRP 135 guidelines. In addition to the collection and analysis of clinical data, the project incorporates the use of computational simulations using the PENELOPE Monte Carlo code to estimate the dose distribution in patients' organs, allowing for risk assessment and the proposal of optimization strategies. The expected results will contribute to the improvement of radiation protection and the establishment of safer and more effective protocols in radiodiagnosis.
Applications Invited
Evaluation of the degradation of polymeric and nanostructured materials with biomedical applications using ion beams.
The degradation of materials under ionizing radiation is a critical factor for their application in clinical and industrial environments. This project aims to investigate the effects of ion beams on polymeric materials, such as PVC, PMMA, PVD, and PVA, and on nanomaterials, especially metallic nanoparticles used for dose augmentation in radiotherapy treatments. Proton beams (in the range of hundreds of keV to a few MeV) and heavy ion beams, such as He, Cu, Cl, and Si (in the order of MeV), will be used to evaluate the induced damage as a function of parameters such as energy, current, and fluence. Intermediate-energy ion scattering (MEIS), Rutherford backscattering (RBS), particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), and MeV-beam secondary ion mass spectrometry (MeV-SIMS) techniques will be employed to characterize structural and compositional modifications. Identifying specific degradation markers, such as chlorine in the case of PVC, can contribute to the development of dosimetric material
Applications Invited
Influence of metallic nanoparticles and metal oxides in cancer treatments
The use of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) and metal oxides has emerged as a promising approach to increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy treatments with X-rays and protons, acting as radiosensitizing agents. In the context of skin cancer, the effects of these NPs may be even more relevant due to the nature of the physicochemical interactions in superficial therapies. This project aims to investigate the influence of these nanoparticles on radiosensitization, as well as their action in therapies based on non-ionizing radiation, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and sonodynamic therapy (SDT), mediated by light and ultrasound, respectively. The permeation of these NPs in cutaneous tissues will also be evaluated, using models such as commercial polymeric membranes and skin. Ion beam techniques, such as PIXE, RBS, and MeV-SIMS, will be employed to map the distribution and quantify the diffusion of nanoparticles with high spatial resolution and analytical sensitivity. The results will con
Applications Invited