From ultrafast laser-generated radiation to clinical impact: a roadmap for radiobiology and cancer research at the extreme light infrastructure (ELI)
Abstract The extreme light infrastructure (ELI) is emerging as a state-of-the-art facility providing international users with open access to ultrashort laser-driven particle bunches, ranging from a few femtoseconds to a few nanoseconds, for advanced radiobiology studies. ELI offers femtosecond-class laser pulses and ultrafast ionizing radiation characterized by extremely high instantaneous dose rates (10 7 –10 12 Gy/s). The versatility of ELI’s cutting-edge technologies enables the generation of high repetition rate (1 Hz–1 kHz) secondary sources (protons, ions, electrons, and neutrons) with energies from a few MeV to several hundred MeV, achieved over sub-millimetre to millimetre-scale acceleration lengths, along with fundamental research in the field of ultrahigh intensity laser-matter interaction based on the use of the highest peak power laser pulses available worldwide. Harnessing these laser-driven particle sources for radiobiology and medical research demands a coordinated international effort, with a strong focus on advancing scientific instrumentation and refining experimental methodologies to support progress in ultrafast laser-driven radiation biology. This roadmap underscores the need for systematically designed experiments across ELI facilities, supported by preparatory research at users’ home laboratories, alongside the ongoing development of instrumentation and infrastructure. These efforts are critical to rigorously assess and validate the therapeutic potential of these novel sources, paving the way for a transformative shift in radiation biology and medicine.
Authors
- Katia Parodi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7779-6690)
- Giorgio Ivan Russo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1493-1087)
- Katalin Hidéghety (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7080-2365)
- C. A. Ur (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1997-0336)
- G. M. Grittani
- S. V. Bulanov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8305-0289)
- S. Kahaly
- R. Polanek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3645-8331)
- Giada Petringa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2854-8436)
- Marie Davídková (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1057-3091)
- Pavel Bláha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8358-167X)
- Carlo Maria Lazzarini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0750-8272)
- L. Giuffrida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4145-4829)
- Parvin Varmazyar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4704-0013)
- Vladimír Vondráček (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5301-0101)
- P. Lukáč (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8412-1931)
- Giuseppe Schettino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3284-3953)
- D. Doria (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8776-5791)
- Barna Bíró (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7610-025X)
- K. Osvay
- Roberto Catalano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3973-2551)
- R. J. Molnar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9775-4500)
- M. Borghesi
- N. Hafz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6597-571X)
- Christos Kamperidis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0360-7671)
- A. Fenyvesi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8495-5642)
- F. Schillaci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3628-5880)
- Luca E. Vannucci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6827-9296)
- D. Margarone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1917-9683)
- G.A.P. Cirrone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5733-9281)
- Katalin Varjú (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6577-7417)
- L. A. Gizzi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6572-6492)
- Marco Favetta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9544-3407)
- Daniel S. Papp (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1481-1413)
- Pankaj Chaudhary (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0381-3635)
- Lorenzo Manti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0168-5040)
- Kevin M. Prise (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6134-7946)
- Francesco Paolo Cammarata (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0554-6649)
- O. Zahradníček
- V. Malka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0488-2587)
- D. A. Jaroszynski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3006-5492)
- Tibor Gilinger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8131-1016)
- G. Szabó (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3998-3425)
- E.R. Szabó
- Zs. Fülöp
- Lecz Zsolt
- L. Stuhl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1531-0603)
- M. Grigalavicius
Institutions
- Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie dell'Informazione "Alessandro Faedo" (IT)
- Queen's University Belfast (GB)
- National Physical Laboratory (GB)
- Vilnius University (LT)
- University of Strathclyde (GB)
- University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (IT)
- HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research (HU)
- University of Szeged (HU)
- ELI-HU Research and Development Non-Profit (HU)
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology (IT)
- Extreme Light Infrastructure Beamlines (CZ)
- Proton Therapy Centre (CZ)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (IT)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microbiology (CZ)
- Centro Siciliano di Fisica Nucleare e di Struttura della Materia (IT)
- Conservatorio di Musica Antonio Scontrino Trapani (IT)
- Institute for Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology (IT)
- Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (RO)
- Centre of Experimental Medicine of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Nuclear Physics Institute (CZ)
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The European Physical Journal Plus
- Published
- 2025-08-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06662-w
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.74
Funders
- European Commission
- European Regional Development Fund