https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06662-w
Review
From ultrafast laser-generated radiation to clinical impact: a roadmap for radiobiology and cancer research at the extreme light infrastructure (ELI)
1
ELI ALPS, ELI-HU Non-Profit Ltd., Szeged, Hungary
2
National Institute for Nuclear Physics - Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania, Italy
3
Department of Experimental Physics – Medical Physics, LMU, Munich, Germany
4
Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
5
ELI - Nuclear Physics, IFIN-HH, Magurele, Romania
6
National Laser-Initiated Transmutation Laboratory, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
7
HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research (HUN-REN ATOMKI), Debrecen, Hungary
8
ELI Beamlines Facility, The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC, Dolní Břežany, Czechia
9
Institute of Bioimaging and Complex Biological Systems, CNR, Cefalù, Italy
10
National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Teddington, UK
11
Nuclear Physics Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Řež, Czechia
12
Medical Physics and Trapani Radiotherapy Departmental Unit, ASP Trapani, Trapani, Italy
13
INO-CNR, Pisa, Italy
14
Laser Research Centre, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
15
Strathclyde University, Glasgow, UK
16
University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
17
INFN, National Institute of Nuclear Physics Naples Section, Naples, Italy
18
Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
19
Proton Therapy Centre Czech, Prague, Czechia
20
Centro Siciliano di Fisica Nucleare e Struttura della Materia (CSFNSM), Catania, Italy
a
daniele.margarone@eli-beams.eu
Received:
26
May
2025
Accepted:
15
July
2025
Published online:
4
August
2025
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 (107–1012 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.
© The Author(s) 2025
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