Citation: Paino, J.; Cameron, M.;
Large, M.; Barnes, M.; Engels, E.;
Vogel, S.; Tehei, M.; Corde, S.;
Guatelli, S.; Rosenfeld, A.; et al.
DoseMRT: A Software Package for
Individualised Monte Carlo Dose
Calculations of Synchrotron-
Generated Microbeam Radiation
Therapy. Radiation 2023, 3, 123–137.
https://doi.org/10.3390/
radiation3020011
Academic Editor: Alexandros
Georgakilas
Received: 11 April 2023
Revised: 16 June 2023
Accepted: 16 June 2023
Published: 20 June 2023
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
Article
DoseMRT : A Software Package for Individualised Monte Carlo
Dose Calculations of Synchrotron-Generated Microbeam
Radiation Therapy
Jason Paino
1,2
, Matthew Cameron
1,2,3
, Matthew Large
1,2
, Micah Barnes
1,2
, Elette Engels
1,2,3
, Sarah Vogel
1,2
,
Moeava Tehei
1,2,4
, Stéphanie Corde
1,2,5
, Susanna Guatelli
1,2
, Anatoly Rosenfeld
1,2
and Michael Lerch
1,2,4,
*
1 Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia;
jpaino@uow.edu.au (J.P.)
2 Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong,
Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
3 Imaging and Medical Beamline, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation-Australian
Synchrotron, Kulin Nation, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
4 Molecular Horizons, School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong,
Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
5 Department of Radiation Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
* Correspondence: mlerch@uow.edu.au
Simple Summary: A new software package, DoseMRT has been developed and validated for use
in synchrotron-generated broad beam and microbeam radiation treatment fields. This package
uses Geant4 Monte Carlo dose calculations at the core of a novel integrated workflow intended
for use in a pre-clinical workflow. DoseMRT allows for rudimentary treatment planning and dose
calculations in geometry defined by individual patient computed tomography scans. This software is
validated in anatomically complex phantoms and demonstrated as used in an in vivo animal trail at
the Australian Synchrotron.
Abstract: This work describes the creation and experimental validation of DoseMRT, a new software
package, and its associated workflow for dose calculations in synchrotron-generated broad beam
and microbeam radiation treatment fields. The DoseMRT software package allows users to import
CT DICOM datasets into Geant4 for Monte Carlo dose calculations. It also provides basic treatment
planning capabilities, simplifying the complexity of performing Geant4 simulations and making
our Monte Carlo dose calculation algorithm accessible to a broader range of users. To demonstrate
the new package, dose calculations are validated against experimental measurements performed in
homogeneous water tank phantoms and the anatomically complex Alderson Radiotherapy Phantom
for both broad-beam and microbeam configurations. Additionally, DoseMRT is successfully utilised
as the primary method for patient-specific treatment prescription in an in vivo experiment involving
tumour-bearing rats at the Imaging and Medical Beamline of the Australian Synchrotron.
Keywords: Geant4; dose calculation; in vivo treatment simulation; DICOM; synchrotron; MRT
1. Introduction
Synchrotron microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) is a next-generation radiation treat-
ment modality currently under preclinical development. The use of spatially fractionated
radiation at extremely high dose rates has been proven to increase the dose tolerance of
healthy tissue over that of cancerous tissue [1], greatly extending the scope of treatment
options, particularly near radiosensitive tissues. As synchrotron facilities continue to
see increased use for in vitro and in vivo experiments [2], it is essential to perform dose
calculations in models with a geometry that matches the anatomical complexity of the
Radiation 2023, 3, 123–137. https://doi.org/10.3390/radiation3020011 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/radiation