Terapet Launches FLASHVIVO to Enable Real-Time Verification in FLASH Therapy
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Gevena-based start-up and CERN spinoff Terapet SA has announced the launch of FLASHVIVO, a new collaborative research and development project designed to tackle one of the most critical challenges facing the clinical adoption of FLASH radiotherapy: the lack of real-time, in vivo treatment verification under ultra-high dose rate conditions.
FLASH radiotherapy has emerged as a promising breakthrough in cancer treatment, with the potential to significantly reduce damage to healthy tissue while dramatically shortening treatment times. Despite these advantages, its transition into routine clinical use has been hindered by the absence of technologies capable of verifying dose delivery during irradiation.
FLASHVIVO aims to close this gap through the development of Flashscan, the first in-beam PET system specifically engineered to operate during FLASH irradiation. This technology will enable real-time, in vivo verification of particle therapy, offering clinicians immediate insight into treatment delivery.
A European Consortium Driving Innovation
The project brings together a multidisciplinary European consortium combining expertise in system development, simulation, and clinical research. Partners include the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center, the University of Applied Sciences Giessen, EQ Photonics GmbH, and Terapet SA.
The system will be validated under realistic treatment conditions at leading particle therapy centres in Heidelberg and Marburg, ensuring its readiness for clinical environments.
From Verification to Biological Guidance
Beyond conventional verification, FLASHVIVO introduces a novel approach by integrating biological guidance into the treatment workflow. By combining PET signals generated by the therapeutic beam with those from pre-administered radiotracers, the system enables tumour localisation, real-time dose verification, and deeper interpretation of treatment delivery.
This dual-PET strategy provides a more comprehensive understanding of dose deposition under FLASH conditions—an area where traditional verification methods fall short—and opens the door to future adaptive treatment strategies.
Enabling the Future of FLASH Therapy
The consortium emphasizes that accurate, real-time monitoring is essential given the ultra-high dose rates and limited margins for error inherent to FLASH therapy. The technologies developed within FLASHVIVO are expected to play a key role in ensuring both patient safety and clinical effectiveness.
Dr. Christina Vallgren, CEO of Terapet SA, highlighted the importance of this advancement:
“FLASH therapy has strong clinical potential, but its adoption depends on our ability to verify dose delivery under these extreme conditions. With FLASHVIVO, we are developing a system capable of operating during irradiation, combining in-beam PET with biological information to better understand and validate treatment delivery in real time.”
With its combination of cutting-edge imaging, biological insight, and real-time verification, FLASHVIVO represents a significant step toward unlocking the full clinical potential of FLASH particle therapy.
➡️ Source: Press Release | 📸 Christina Vallgren, Ph.D, MBA – CEO & Co-Founder, and Vanessa La Rosa, PhD – Sales and Marketing Manager