JP2017101930A - Diagnosis device, treatment device, and drugs - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a diagnosis device which allows use of stable drugs that can be mass-produced and stocked in advance and thus does not require a drug production facilities nearby, and which also enables general pathological diagnosis.SOLUTION: A diagnosis device includes; a neutron irradiation mechanism 1 configured to irradiate an examinee P, who has been dosed with a drug obtained by labelling a molecule that gets incorporated or bound to a test target with boron, with neutrons; and a γ-ray detection mechanism 2 configured to detect sites generating γ-rays caused by nuclear reaction between the neutrons and boron in the examinee P.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a diagnosis in which a drug labeled with a predetermined element is administered to a patient and the patient is irradiated with a particle beam, and as a result, a diagnosis or treatment is performed by radiation or particle beam generated from the patient by a nuclear reaction. It relates to a device or therapeutic device and a drug used for diagnosis or treatment as described above.

For example, PET (Positron Emission Tomography) diagnosis is performed in order to precisely identify the position of cancer cells and the like. In the PET diagnosis, a drug labeled with a radioisotope ¹⁸ F that emits a positron for glucose as shown in FIG. 13 is administered to a patient. Since glucose accumulates in cancer cells due to the Warburg effect, the concentration of the above-described drug is high at the site where the cancer cells are present. Then, when about 110 minutes, which is the half-life, has elapsed, ¹⁸ F labeled with glucose is β ⁺ decayed as shown in FIG. 14A, and positrons are released. The positron annihilates with the electron and two γ rays are emitted in opposite directions.

As shown in FIG. 14 (b), the emitted two gamma rays are respectively detected by a gamma ray detector 2A provided so as to surround the examinee, and γ rays are generated based on the detection result. The determined three-dimensional position, that is, the position where ¹⁸ F exists in the body of the examinee is specified. Then, the integrated distribution of glucose is displayed from each ¹⁸ F position by image processing, and diagnosis by a doctor is performed based on this image.

  By the way, in PET diagnosis, in order to minimize the exposure dose of a patient who receives a drug, the half-life of a radionuclide used as a label needs to be a short life of a few hundred minutes or less.

  Therefore, it is difficult to mass-produce and stock a drug labeled with a radioisotope in advance for the operation of PET diagnosis. In addition, when a drug is generated at a location far away from the PET diagnostic apparatus, the half-life is reached due to the transportation time, and the function as a drug cannot be exhibited.

  Therefore, facilities such as an accelerator (cyclotron) and a drug synthesizer (hot lab) for manufacturing a drug labeled with a short-lived radioisotope need to be provided near the PET diagnostic apparatus 100A. Since such an accelerator and a drug synthesizer are very expensive to install, a PET diagnostic apparatus is prevented from spreading compared to other diagnostic apparatuses such as CT and MRI.

  The problem as described above is caused by the fact that a drug labeled with a short-lived radioisotope cannot be stocked in advance. However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a short-lived radioisotope is used for PET diagnosis. Some do not require chemicals labeled with elements.

This is a cancer treatment device using proton beams, and aims to irradiate the examinee with high-energy proton beams to destroy cancer cells. When the proton beam passes through the body, ¹⁵ O, which is a radioisotope, is generated along the path. This ¹⁵ O has a short half-life of about 2 minutes, and by measuring two γ-rays generated by the annihilation of positrons generated from ¹⁵ O, a three-dimensional image can be obtained in the same way as normal PET diagnosis. it can.

  However, if it is such a thing, a drug labeled with a radioisotope is certainly unnecessary, but only an image that can confirm whether the proton beam passes through the target site in the cancer treatment with the proton beam is obtained. Absent. In addition, it cannot be used to accumulate radioisotopes in cancer cells or the like and specify their positions, and is difficult to use for general-purpose pathological diagnosis.

Japanese Patent No. 4750638

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems all at once, and can use a chemically and nuclear-physically stable drug that can be mass-produced in advance and stocked. It is an object of the present invention to provide a diagnostic apparatus, a therapeutic apparatus, and a medicine used for the diagnostic apparatus or therapeutic apparatus that do not need to be provided in the vicinity of the diagnostic apparatus and can also perform general-purpose pathological diagnosis.

  That is, the diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes a neutron irradiation mechanism that irradiates a patient who has been administered a drug in which a molecule that is incorporated in or binds to a test target with a drug and is labeled with boron, And a γ-ray detection mechanism for detecting a generation position of γ-rays generated as a result of a nuclear reaction with boron in the human body.

In such a case, since diagnosis is performed using a nuclear reaction between neutrons and boron in the examinee, it is necessary to label with a radioisotope that naturally generates β ⁺ decay as in PET diagnosis. Absent. Therefore, molecules that take a long time to be incorporated into or combined with the inspection target, such as those that require more than 5 times the half-life of the short-lived radioisotope, are also considered as drugs. Applicable.

In other words, ¹⁰ B, which is chemically and nuclear-physically stable in nature, can be used as a label for the drug, so that even when mass-produced in advance and stocked, its function is fully demonstrated. Can be made.

  In addition, since it does not have a short half-life like a drug used for PET diagnosis, it is not necessary to provide a facility for generating a drug in the vicinity of the diagnostic apparatus. Therefore, if it is this invention, compared with a PET diagnostic apparatus, the installation cost of the installation for a chemical | medical agent production | generation can be reduced significantly.

  In addition, since drugs that are incorporated into the test target or bound to the test target are labeled with boron, the drug is labeled with boron for each test target. Pathological diagnosis is also possible.

  In order to obtain a neutron irradiation field necessary for diagnosis while suppressing a neutron irradiation amount to a tissue sensitive to radiation, the neutron irradiation mechanism is arranged around a position where the examinee is arranged. Any device may be used as long as it includes a plurality of neutron irradiators arranged.

  In order to allow neutrons to reach deep inside the examinee's body, the plurality of neutron emitters are arranged so that the neutron emission axes of the plurality of neutron emitters intersect at substantially one point in the examinee. It only has to be done.

  In order to facilitate the setting so that neutrons are appropriately irradiated in a predetermined field from each neutron irradiator to the examination target of the examinee, the neutron irradiator includes a neutron source that generates neutrons, and What is necessary is just to have a neutron collimator that converges the neutrons generated by the neutron source into a parallel beam.

  In order to make it possible to individually set neutron irradiation characteristics for a plurality of the neutron irradiators and to easily obtain a neutron spectrum suitable for realizing an irradiation field necessary for diagnosis, the neutron source includes a plurality of the neutron sources. The neutron irradiator may be configured such that the number of neutrons generated can be adjusted independently, and the neutron collimator may include a neutron moderator.

  The neutron collimator is installed on the neutron source in order to make it possible to create a neutron dose converging part in a place other than the center of the examinee and to make it easier to control the neutron dose distribution in the examinee. It suffices that the angle is configured to be independently adjustable in each of the plurality of neutron irradiators.

  The position where γ rays are generated can be specified by only one γ ray generated by the nuclear reaction between neutron and boron, and the accumulated distribution of the drug in the body of the examinee can be displayed in three dimensions. For this purpose, the γ-ray detection mechanism may be a Compton camera configured to be able to measure a position where γ-rays are generated in the examinee as three-dimensional information.

As with the diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, the three-dimensional position of the drug taken into the body of the examinee can be accurately captured, and abnormalities are observed in ⁴ He or ⁷ Li generated by a nuclear reaction between neutrons and boron. In order to be able to destroy certain cells, etc., a neutron irradiation mechanism for irradiating a patient who has been administered a drug labeled with boron as a molecule incorporated into or bound to a treatment target, Any treatment apparatus may be used, provided with a γ-ray detection mechanism for detecting a generation position of γ-rays generated as a result of a nuclear reaction with boron in the patient.

If it is such, it will be possible to apply ⁴ He or ⁷ Li to, for example, the DNA of a cell to be treated and destroy it while accurately checking the position of the treatment target. Further, ⁴ He or ⁷ Li has a shorter range than X-rays and γ-rays, and can destroy only DNA of cells in the immediate vicinity of accumulated drugs, thereby reducing the burden on the examinee.

  As a drug suitable for the diagnostic apparatus or therapeutic apparatus according to the present invention, a neutron irradiation mechanism that irradiates a patient with neutrons and a generation position of γ-rays generated as a result of a nuclear reaction in the patient by neutrons are detected. a drug administered to the examinee for image diagnosis by a diagnostic apparatus equipped with a γ-ray detection mechanism, and a drug in which a molecule that is taken into a test target or bound to a test target is labeled with boron .

For example, in the diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, examples of the drug suitable for specifying the position of the cancer cell of the examinee include glucose labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B).

For molecules that are difficult to label with short-lived radioisotopes, such as those used in PET diagnosis, labeling is possible with stable boron. In order to take advantage of these characteristics and to make the cancer cell visualization efficiency much higher than methods such as PET diagnosis, the drug is labeled with glutamic acid boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B). I just need it.

For example, in order to increase detection efficiency by specializing in breast cancer and other specific cancer cells, the drug may be one in which resveratrol is labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B).

In order to make it possible to visualize, for example, amyloid β protein considered to be a causative substance of Alzheimer's dementia by the diagnostic device according to the present invention and to make diagnosis of Alzheimer's dementia at a low cost, the drug is amyloid β Any peptide-affinity compound labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B) may be used.

In order to make it possible to visualize and diagnose various bacteria, viruses, and proteins using the diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, any drug may be used as long as the antibody is labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B). If it is such, it will become possible to visualize viruses such as enterovirus D68, Ebola virus, and HIV.

In order to improve the density of boron used as a label so that the detection efficiency and the treatment efficiency can be improved, the boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B) may be an agent that forms an orthocarborane form.

  In addition, the diagnostic method or treatment method according to the present invention includes a step of administering a drug labeled with a molecule that is incorporated into a test target or treatment target or bound to the test target or treatment target to the examinee. In contrast, the method may include a step of irradiating neutrons and a step of detecting a generation position of γ rays generated as a result of a nuclear reaction between neutrons and boron in the examinee.

  As described above, according to the diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, a drug labeled with boron is administered to the examinee, the neutron is irradiated to the examinee, and γ rays generated by the nuclear reaction between neutron and boron are detected. Therefore, it is not necessary to produce a drug labeled with a short-lived radioisotope just before diagnosis, unlike PET diagnosis. Therefore, there is no need to install a facility for generating a medicine in the vicinity of the diagnostic apparatus, and the installation cost can be reduced. In addition, by appropriately selecting a molecule labeled with boron, a visualization agent specialized for various inspection targets can be obtained, and general pathological diagnosis is possible.

The schematic diagram shown about the diagnostic apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The typical sectional view showing the details of the neutron irradiator in the diagnostic device of a 1st embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the detail of the gamma ray detection mechanism in the diagnostic apparatus of 1st Embodiment. The chemical formula of the chemical | medical agent used in 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram shown about the nuclear reaction between a neutron and boron. The schematic diagram which shows the modification of the diagnostic apparatus of 1st Embodiment. The chemical formula which shows the modification 1 of the chemical | medical agent used in 1st Embodiment. The chemical formula which shows the modification 2 of the chemical | medical agent used in 1st Embodiment. The chemical formula which shows the modification 3 of the chemical | medical agent used in 1st Embodiment. The chemical formula which shows the modification 4 of the chemical | medical agent used in 1st Embodiment. The chemical formula which shows the modification 5 of the chemical | medical agent used in 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the effect | action with respect to the antigen of the modification 5 of a chemical | medical agent. Molecular formula indicating a drug used in conventional PET diagnosis. The schematic diagram shown about the structure and diagnostic principle of the conventional PET diagnostic apparatus.

  The diagnostic device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment irradiates a patient P to whom a drug labeled with boron for a molecule having an affinity for a test target is administered, and is generated by a nuclear reaction between the neutron and boron. This is for obtaining a three-dimensional position of an inspection target and a tomographic image of the examinee P based on prompt γ-rays. More specifically, the diagnostic device 100 is a boron neutron capture type diagnostic imaging device 100 for the purpose of visualizing the position of the body of cancer cells, which is an inspection target.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the diagnostic apparatus 100 includes a mounting table D on which the examinee P is placed, a neutron irradiation mechanism 1 that irradiates neutrons to a position on which the examinee P is placed, neutrons, Based on the γ-ray detection mechanism 2 for detecting the generation position of γ-rays generated by the nuclear reaction with boron in the body of the examinee P, and the position information of the γ-rays detected by the γ-ray detection mechanism 2, And an image processing mechanism 3 that generates tomographic image data indicating the distribution state of the medicine in the body of the examinee P and displays it on the screen.

  The mounting table D is capable of transmitting neutrons, and is configured so that the position of the patient P placed thereon can be adjusted three-dimensionally. As the mounting table D moves, the irradiation position of the neutrons to the examinee P is adjusted.

  The neutron irradiation mechanism 1 is disposed on the lower side with respect to the mounting table D, and is formed in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape so as to cover the mounting table D and the half circumference of the examinee P. The neutron irradiation mechanism 1 includes a plurality of neutron irradiators 11 arranged around a position where the examinee P is arranged, and neutrons provided so as to cover the outside of the neutron irradiator 11 in a semicylindrical shape. The reflecting material 14, a semi-cylindrical neutron shielding material 15 provided so as to connect the neutron emission side of each neutron irradiator 11, the tip of each neutron irradiator 11, the mounting table D and the examinee P And a γ-ray shielding material 16 provided so as to partition the space.

  In the first embodiment, six neutron irradiators 11 are provided and arranged so that the irradiation directions of the neutrons intersect at the examinee P as shown in FIG. More specifically, the emission axis (optical axis) of neutrons emitted from each neutron irradiator 11 is made to intersect at constant intervals in the vicinity of the examination target in the examinee P.

  The neutron irradiator 11 includes a neutron source 12 provided outside the examinee P, and a neutron collimator 13 that converges neutrons generated from the neutron source 12 into a parallel beam.

The neutron source 12 is an accelerator neutron source 12 that generates high-energy neutrons of, for example, 10 MeV or higher. In this device, deuteron ions are accelerated by a high-voltage DC power source or a high-voltage pulse power source, and collide with a tritium target or a lithium target to generate neutrons. A nuclear reaction in which deuterons collide with tritium nuclei and neutrons are generated is shown in Equation 1, and a nuclear reaction in which deuterons collide with lithium nuclei and neutrons are generated is shown in Equation 2.
T + d → ⁴ He + n + 17.6 MeV Equation 1
⁷ Li + d → 2 ⁴ He + n + 15.03 MeV Equation 2
Both of these neutron-generated nuclear reactions are exothermic reactions, and the nuclear reaction occurs even when the colliding deuteron energy is a small value of several hundred keV or less. Therefore, a large amount of neutrons can be generated even with a small accelerator having a small acceleration energy. Moreover, since the calorific value is larger than 15 MeV, high energy neutrons of 10 MeV or more can be obtained. This neutron source is configured such that the number of neutrons generated can be adjusted independently in each of the plurality of neutron irradiators 11.

  The neutron collimator 13 has a double tube structure as shown in FIG. 2, and is fitted into the outer tube body 1A and a polyethylene outer tube body 1A coated with gadolinium oxide paint on the outer surface. The inner tube 1B is provided so as to perform the above operation, and the speed reducer 1F is provided inside the inner tube 1B. The inner tube 1B includes a bismuth lid 1C and a cylindrical portion T provided on the neutron source 12 side, and the cylindrical portion T is provided with leads 1D and gadolinium 1E alternately and repeatedly. . Note that gadolinium 1E forming the cylindrical portion T may be cadmium or boron. The speed reducer 1F is formed of, for example, iron, lead, or bismuth on the inlet side of the inner tube body, and the speed reducer 1F on the outlet side is formed of, for example, light water, heavy water, graphite, aluminum fluoride, or calcium fluoride. .

  The gamma ray detection mechanism 2 is a SPECT camera disposed on the upper side with respect to the examinee P. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the scatterer detector 21 into which prompt γ-rays generated in the body of the examinee P enter, and the scattered γ-rays scattered by the scatterer detector 21 enter. It is a Compton camera provided with the absorber detector 22 and the gamma ray generation position calculation part.

  The scatterer detector 21 is a scintillator capable of three-dimensionally detecting the scattering position of incident prompt γ-rays.

  The absorber detector 22 is a scintillator capable of three-dimensionally detecting the absorption position of scattered γ rays generated by the scatterer detector 21.

  The γ-ray generation position calculation unit calculates the arrival direction of the prompt γ-ray and its energy based on the Compton scattering formula, the scattering position and the absorption position detected by the scatterer detector 21 and the absorber detector 22. To do. Based on these pieces of information, the position where the prompt γ rays are generated in the examinee P, that is, the three-dimensional position where the medicine is accumulated is calculated.

  The function of the image processing mechanism 3 is realized by a so-called computer, and based on the output from the γ-ray detection mechanism 2, a tomographic image reflecting the accumulation state of the medicine in the body of the examinee P is obtained. Generate and display. A doctor makes a diagnosis based on the tomographic image displayed by the image processing mechanism 3.

  Next, details of the drug administered to the examinee P will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drug used in the diagnostic apparatus 100 of the first embodiment is obtained by labeling glucose with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B). Hereinafter, in this specification, a drug in which boron is labeled on a molecule having an affinity for a test target is also referred to as a boron trace drug. In the first embodiment, boron is labeled at the 2-position of D-α-gloucose which is easily taken up by cancer cells which are examination targets and has high affinity.

  Next, the nuclear reaction between the drug labeled with boron and the neutrons emitted from the neutron irradiation mechanism 1 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, boron contained in the drug absorbs neutrons and emits one prompt γ-ray of 478 keV. The emitted prompt γ-rays are detected by the γ-ray detection mechanism 2, the generation position thereof is calculated, and converted into accumulated drug information. Boron that has absorbed neutrons emits not only prompt γ rays but also ⁴ He and ⁷ Li.

  According to the diagnostic apparatus 100 of the first embodiment configured as described above, the accumulation distribution of the drug in the body of the examinee P is calculated based on the prompt γ-ray generated by the nuclear reaction between neutron and boron, and a tomographic image is obtained. Can be displayed as

Therefore, it is not necessary to administer the visualization agent labeled with a short-lived radioisotope to the examinee P as in PET diagnosis. Further, since the boron trace drag are labeled with chemically nuclear physics to stable boron 10 also (10 ^B) in nature, it is possible long-term storage of, it can be stocked in advance mass . For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a hot lab like PET diagnosis near the diagnostic apparatus 100, and the drug manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced compared to PET diagnosis.

  Furthermore, since a boron trace drug in which a compound having a high affinity for cancer cells is labeled with boron is administered to the examinee P, it is possible to identify the position by accumulating in the cancer cells that are the test target. Become.

  Moreover, since the neutron irradiation mechanism 1 of 1st Embodiment is comprised so that a neutron may be irradiated from the several neutron irradiation device 11 by the six neutron sources 12, it is only the body surface of the examinee P. In addition, neutrons can reach even within 15 cm from the body surface. Therefore, it is possible to perform image diagnosis with sufficient resolution even when there is a test target in a deep part of the body. By further increasing the number of neutron sources 12, neutrons can reach even within 15 cm or more from the body surface.

  Next, a modification of the first embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the neutron collimator 13 may be configured such that the installation angle with respect to the neutron source 12 can be adjusted independently in each of the plurality of neutron irradiators 11. By configuring in this way, it becomes easier to realize an irradiation field optimal for diagnosis.

In addition, the drug is not limited to glucose labeled with boron. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, boron may be labeled on a part of glutamic acid. More specifically, a boron trace drug may be prepared by replacing carbon of the carboxy group of glutamic acid with boron. With such stable boron, it is possible to label glutamic acid, which has been difficult to label with short-lived radioisotopes such as ¹⁸ F and ¹¹ C, which have been conventionally used for PET diagnosis and the like. By using such a drug in which glutamic acid is labeled with boron, the drug can be more easily accumulated in cancer cells, and the visualization efficiency of cancer cells can be further increased.

Further, the drug may be a boron trace drug in which resveratrol is labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B) as shown in FIG. If it is such a thing, it will become possible to implement | achieve high detection efficiency, for example with respect to a breast cancer or a specific cancer cell.

In addition, drugs are not limited to cancer cell visualization agents. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the drug may be a boron trace drug in which an amyloid β peptide affinity compound is labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B). More specifically, as an alternative to a visualization agent having a high affinity for amyloid β peptide used in PET diagnosis, it can be labeled with boron. That is, flutemetamol may be labeled with boron as shown in FIG. 9, or SB-13 may be labeled with boron as shown in FIG. By using such a drug, the test target can be amyloid β peptide, and the diagnostic apparatus 100 of the first embodiment can be used not only for diagnosis of cancer cells but also for diagnosis of Alzheimer-type dementia. .

  In addition to the molecules incorporated into the test target, various antibodies may be labeled with boron as shown in FIG. Thus, by administering the antibody labeled with boron to the examinee P by injection and using the diagnostic apparatus 100, the foreign substance is labeled with boron by attaching the antibody to foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses existing in the body. Can be visualized. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, when boron is in the form of orthoborane, the density of boron can be increased and the detection efficiency can be further increased.

  Next, a treatment apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment includes a neutron irradiation mechanism 1 that irradiates a patient P to which a medicine in which a molecule taken into a treatment target or bound to a treatment target is labeled with boron is administered, a neutron, It includes at least a γ-ray detection mechanism 2 that detects a generation position of γ-rays generated as a result of a nuclear reaction with boron in the examinee P. More specifically, the treatment device of the second embodiment has the same configuration as the diagnostic device 100 of the first embodiment. In other words, this treatment apparatus is a BNCT apparatus that destroys cells or viral DNAs or proteins, which are treatment targets, by high-energy ⁷ Li atoms and ⁴ He particles generated by a nuclear reaction between neutrons and boron. If it is such, destruction of the cell and a foreign material by Li atom and ⁴ He particle | grains can be performed, confirming the position where the chemical | medical agent has accumulated with prompt γ-ray.

Further, in the treatment apparatus of the second embodiment, it is necessary to increase the neutron generation intensity of the neutron source 12 by about 10 to 1000 times compared to the diagnosis apparatus of the first embodiment. Therefore, the accelerator neutron source 12 in the second embodiment is configured such that a high-current deuteron ion beam can be accelerated by driving the acceleration electrode tube with a high-voltage pulse generator equipped with a SiC-MOSFET. . A large amount of neutrons can be generated by colliding a high-current deuteron ion beam against a tritium target or a lithium target. Here, since the SiC-MOSFET is used, the neutron source 12 can be significantly reduced in size compared to the conventional case, although the neutron generation intensity is high. The neutron source 12 is also configured to be able to adjust the number of neutron generations independently of each other as in the diagnosis apparatus of the first embodiment.

  Other embodiments will be described.

  The neutron irradiation mechanism is not limited to that described in each embodiment, and various types can be applied. For example, the neutron source may be an RI neutron source using a radioisotope or a nuclear reactor. Moreover, the neutron source which obtains a neutron using a spallation reaction may be sufficient. Note that the SiC-MOSFET may be used to configure a neutron source for a diagnostic device.

  About the neutron collimator, you may adjust suitably about the number of installation of a deceleration body.

  The γ-ray detection mechanism is not limited to a Compton camera, and any mechanism that can detect the generation position from one γ-ray may be used. For example, in the case of ortho-carborane, a plurality of gamma rays are obtained from the same drug molecule, and the range of arrival directions is overlapped to calculate a three-dimensional exact position. Also good.

  In addition, various combinations and modifications of the embodiments may be performed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Diagnostic apparatus / treatment apparatus 1 ... Neutron irradiation mechanism 11 ... Neutron irradiation device 12 ... Neutron source 13 ... Neutron collimator 2 ... Gamma ray detection mechanism 3 ... Image processing mechanism

Claims (15)

A neutron irradiation mechanism that emits neutrons to a patient who has been administered a drug labeled with boron, which is a molecule that is incorporated into or bound to the test target;
A diagnostic apparatus comprising: a γ-ray detection mechanism that detects a generation position of γ-rays generated as a result of a nuclear reaction between neutrons and boron in the examinee. The neutron irradiation mechanism is
The diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of neutron irradiators arranged around a position where the examinee is arranged.   The diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of neutron irradiators are arranged so that neutron emission axes of the plurality of neutron irradiators intersect at substantially one point in the examinee. The neutron irradiator is
A neutron source that generates neutrons;
The diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a neutron collimator that converges neutrons generated from the neutron source into a parallel beam. The neutron source is configured to be capable of independently adjusting the number of neutron generation in each of the plurality of neutron irradiators,
The diagnostic device according to claim 4, wherein the neutron collimator includes a neutron moderator.   The diagnostic device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the neutron collimator is configured such that an installation angle with respect to the neutron source can be independently adjusted in each of the plurality of neutron irradiators.   The diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the γ-ray detection mechanism is a Compton camera configured to be able to measure a position where γ-rays are generated in a patient as three-dimensional information. A neutron irradiation mechanism that emits neutrons to a patient who has been administered a drug labeled with boron that is incorporated into or bound to a therapeutic target;
A treatment apparatus comprising: a γ-ray detection mechanism for detecting a generation position of γ-rays generated as a result of a nuclear reaction between neutrons and boron in the examinee. For image diagnosis by a diagnostic device equipped with a neutron irradiation mechanism that irradiates a patient with neutrons and a γ-ray detection mechanism that detects a generation position of γ-rays generated as a result of a nuclear reaction in the patient by neutrons A drug administered to the examinee,
A drug in which a molecule that is incorporated into or binds to a test target is labeled with boron. The drug according to claim 9, wherein glucose is labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B). The drug according to claim 9, wherein glutamic acid is labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B). The drug according to claim 9, wherein resveratrol is labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B). The drug according to claim 9, wherein the amyloid β peptide affinity compound is labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B). The drug according to claim 9, wherein the antibody is labeled with boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B). The agent according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein boron 10 ( ¹⁰ B) is in the form of orthocarborane.