The 4D man

With a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are developing a physics-based virtual model that can simulate a patient’s breathing in real time.

When used in conjunction with existing 3D models, adding the fourth dimension of time could significantly improve the accuracy and effectiveness of radiation treatment for lung and liver cancers.

X. George Xu, professor of nuclear and biomedical engineering, and Suvranu De, associate professor of mechanical engineering, have formed a multidisciplinary collaboration with clinical colleagues at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center in San Antonio, Texas, to develop the 4D Visible Photographic Man (VIP-Man).

This virtual model is an extension of Xu’s ongoing project involving the 3D VIP-Man, which is an advanced computer model that simulates in 3D how radiation affects the organs and tissues in the human body.

‘Live patients are not static beings, and a moving organ such as the lung or heart is a main concern in radiation treatment or imaging of tumors that are affected by such organ movement,’ Xu said. ‘In order to determine accurate and effective radiation dosages, doctors must consider such issues as the breathing function and air volume change that are affected by several physiological factors over the course of the radiation treatment.’