Asplfusion builds a proton‑lithium accelerator that produces epithermal neutrons for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy, offering a targeted treatment option for recurrent head‑and‑neck cancer and glioblastoma where conventional radiotherapy is insufficient.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Recurrent head‑and‑neck cancers and glioblastoma often cannot be effectively treated with conventional radiotherapy, and domestic production of high‑energy medical isotopes is limited by reliance on thermal reactors. Additionally, industrial non‑destructive evaluation (NDE) in aerospace and advanced manufacturing lacks compact, high‑flux neutron sources.
Solution
Asplfusion develops a proton‑lithium (p‑Li) accelerator that generates epithermal neutrons via the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), providing a targeted treatment option for recurrent head‑and‑neck cancer and glioblastoma where standard radiation fails. The same accelerator serves as a particle neutron source (PNS) for industrial NDE, delivering high‑intensity neutron beams for defect detection in aerospace components and advanced manufacturing parts. A Gas Dynamic Trap (GDT) linear‑mirror neutron source produces fast neutrons (>1 MeV) to enable domestic production of medical isotopes such as Sc‑47, Cu‑64, Cu‑67, and Lu‑177, which require higher neutron energies than thermal reactors can provide. The platform also supports research into sub‑critical hybrid reactor configurations for nuclear waste transmutation, fuel breeding, and thorium cycle studies, leveraging a common linear‑mirror architecture and advanced Monte‑Carlo‑optimised moderator and reflector assemblies.
Target Audience
Primary customers include oncology centers seeking BNCT capability for hard‑to‑treat head‑and‑neck and brain tumors, aerospace and advanced‑manufacturing firms requiring compact high‑flux neutron NDE tools, and domestic isotope production facilities aiming to generate fast‑neutron medical isotopes.
Features
- Proton‑lithium accelerator delivering epithermal neutron flux optimized for BNCT therapy
- Integrated particle neutron source (PNS) for high‑resolution, non‑destructive evaluation in aerospace and manufacturing
- Gas Dynamic Trap (GDT) linear‑mirror neutron source producing fast neutrons suitable for clinical‑grade isotope production
- Advanced moderator and reflector designs tuned via Monte‑Carlo simulations to shape neutron spectra for therapy and industrial use
- Proprietary simulation and nuclear knowledge‑graph platforms accelerating R&D and supporting broader nuclear‑science collaborations
- Scalable linear‑mirror architecture that can be extended from accelerator to GDT to hybrid sub‑critical reactor configurations