Purpose: To develop an accelerator neutron source suitable for boron neutron capture therapy—a new promising method for treating malignant tumors—and to develop dosimetry tools and methods. Methods: Research into the transport and acceleration of a beam of charged particles, development and manufacture of an accelerator neutron source, study of the radiation generated, and development and implementation of dosimetry tools and methods. Results: A facility called VITA has been created, which includes a tandem electrostatic accelerator of an original design for producing a 2.3 MeV 10 mA proton beam, a lithium target for generating neutrons in the ⁷Li(p,n)⁷Be reaction, and a beam shaping assembly for forming a therapeutic neutron beam. The facility at the institute is used for scientific research, the facility in Xiamen (China) is used for clinical trials, and the facility in Moscow (Russia) will soon be used for clinical trials. Also, new tools and methods for measuring the boron dose, γ-ray dose, and sum of the fast neutron dose and the nitrogen dose have been proposed and implemented. The conducted studies demonstrated the high efficiency of the VITA^® facility, the first possibility of implementing prompt γ-ray spectroscopy for boron imaging, and the first possibility of implementing lithium neutron capture therapy, which has advantages over BNCT, and also presented the results of the development of new tools and methods for measuring the boron dose, γ-ray dose, and the sum of the fast neutron dose and the nitrogen dose. Conclusions: The authors strongly recommend using prompt γ-ray spectroscopy in treatment and developing lithium neutron capture therapy, including in combination with BNCT, and note the high efficiency, reliability and compactness of the VITA^® facility.

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is one of the innovative methods for treating oncological diseases. Its selectivity is based on the targeted delivery of the boron-10 isotope to tumor cells, followed by neutron irradiation, the ¹⁰ B(n, α) ⁷ Li reaction occurs with a local release of 2.79 MeV of energy. Budding boron delivery agents are nanoscale systems. This study evaluated in vitro cytotoxicity, accumulation, and retention of elemental boron nanoparticles, synthesized by laser ablation and laser fragmentation, in U87 and BT474 tumor cells and BJ-5ta fibroblasts. It was shown that both types of nanoparticles exhibit low cytotoxicity at therapeutically relevant concentrations. Boron accumulation was maximal after 24 h of incubation and was significantly higher in tumor cells, especially in the BT474 cell line, compared to fibroblasts. The obtained data indicate the promise of these nanoparticles as boron delivery agents for BNCT.

Purpose: To develop an accelerator neutron source suitable for boron neutron capture therapy – a new promising method for treating malignant tumors, and to develop dosimetry tools and methods. Methods: Research into the transport and acceleration of a beam of charged particles, development and manufacture of an accelerator neutron source, and study of the radiation generated. Results: A facility called VITA has been created, which includes a tandem electrostatic accelerator of an original design for producing a 2.3 MeV 10 mA proton beam, a lithium target for generating neutrons in the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction, and a beam shaping assembly for forming a therapeutic neutron beam. Also, tools and methods for measuring the boron dose, -ray dose, and sum of the fast neutron dose and the nitrogen dose have been proposed and created. The conducted studies demonstrated the high efficiency of the VITA facility, the possibility of implementing the prompt -ray spectroscopy for boron imaging, the possibility of implementing lithium neutron capture therapy, which has advantages over BNCT, and also presented the results of the development of tools and methods for measuring the boron dose, -ray dose, and the sum of the fast neutron dose and the nitrogen dose. Conclusion: The authors strongly recommend using the prompt -ray spectroscopy in treatment, developing lithium neutron capture therapy, including in combination with BNCT, and note the high efficiency, reliability and compactness of the VITA facility.

Boron neutron capture therapy is an innovative technology for treating a number of malignant neoplasms. A promising replacement for the boron-10 isotope is lithium-6, which has a high thermal neutron capture cross-section, and the reaction is characterized by localized energy release. Material and methods.  To implement the lithium neutron capture therapy (LiNCT) method, preliminary in vitro  studies were conducted with lithium chloride enriched with the lithium-6 isotope. Cytotoxicity was assessed using the MTT test, and lithium accumulation by DF-1, C2C12, RD и T98-G cells was measured using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Results and discussion.  Lithium chloride at a dose of 6 mM did not reduce cell viability when co-cultured for up to 24 hours. Lithium accumulation did not depend on the incubation time when cells were cultured with lithium chloride at this dosage. The highest lithium concentration was detected in human dermal fibroblasts DF-1, while the lowest was in mouse limb muscle cells C2C12. The detected lithium concentrations were comparable to boron concentrations in in vitro  experiments using a non-selective boron delivery agent (borocaptate). Conclusions.  Lithium chloride enriched with lithium-6 isotope can be used for LiNCT. The development of targeted nanocomposites will increase lithium accumulation by cells and enhance the efficacy of LiNCT.