Radiation Monitors
SUMMARY:
JP Laboratories, Inc is a privately owned, highly equipped, product research and development company founded by Dr. Gordhan Patel in 1983. The company develops new products/processes, patents and licenses to other companies for manufacturing and marketing on royalty basis. It manufactures RADTriage (Self-indicating Instant Radiation Alert Dosimeters). The company owns about 80 US and foreign issued and pending patents and five registered trademarks. In addition to RADTriage, company has developed : (i) Time-temperature indicators (ii) Freeze indicator (iii) CBRN & Self-expiring, self-reading visitor’s badge (iv) Sterilization indicators (V) Products for healthcare industry (VI) Radiation monitors (VII) Make non-palatable food palatable by debittering (VIII) Glass lining reactors by induction heating
RADIOCHROMIC FILM FOR MONITORING RADIATION THERAPY
Radiographic films are now commercially available from Ashland. Radiochromic films do not require wet processing, can be used in room lights and are nearly tissue equivalent. However, the technology was pioneered by Dr. Patel at JP Labs in late 1980s (US patent # 7,476,874, now expired). We have developed significantly less expensive and superior radiation sensitive films for monitoring radiation therapy (e.g., US patent # 7,476,874 and others pending). Our radiochromic film is not affected by ambient UV light or humidity and can be stored for many years at room temperature. As the film of uniform thickness can be made from our formulations, there is no need for yellow dyes for thickness correction and hence most of the commercially available software and scanners can be used for monitoring dose. This film can also be used for industrial radiography and for monitoring neutrons and alpha particles. Estimated market for radiochromic film for radiation therapy is in tens of millions of dollars per year.
BLOOD RADIATION INDICATOR
About 10% of fresh blood (~11 million units) is radiated with 25 kGy. Commercially available blood radiation indicators are difficult to make, require cold storage and are very sensitive to UV/sunlight. An improved formulation of our radiochromic film is used to make the sensor for the blood radiation indicator. Our blood radiation indicator is easy to manufacture using commercially available printing equipment. It is not effected by ambient UV light or humidity and can be stored at room temperature for nearly a decade. The blood radiation indicator is fully optimized in the lab and is ready for manufacturing. Our indicator will cost about five cents to manufacture and can be sold for a dollar. The estimated market for the blood radiation indicator is about $10 million per year.
EMERGENCY RADIATION DOSIMETER
In a radiological emergency, such as an accident at a nuclear power plant or an attack with a dirty bomb, one of the first things one needs is a dosimeter. All other radiation dosimeters are expensive, bulky, fragile, require a power source or a reader and are not readily deployable in an emergency. RADTriage is the only credit card sized, instantly color developing, emergency dosimeter for monitoring a medically significant dose of ~20 mSv (diagnostic/tolerable dose) through ~10,000 mSv (fatal dose). It minimizes panic and worry, and triages radiation exposure for medical treatment in a radiological incident. It is ready 24/7 and requires no reader, batteries or maintenance. For a summary, see a video at https://youtu.be/uTaKmhyluHo. The other modifications of RADTriage are RADSticker (post office stamp sized RADTriage), SeeRad business card (video at https://youtu.be/sPPQwD849DI) and RADTriage-TLD (a dual-sensor high accuracy dosimeter).These are the only products JP Labs manufactures.
RADTriage has been tested in the world’s top independent laboratories and field proven for more than two decades. About 100,000 citizens of Japan used them during the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident and nearly 400,000 were used worldwide in 2011. It is used by first responders, military, nuclear power plants and people living around nuclear power plants. The technology is a recipient of many awards and recognitions, such as Frost & Sullivan “Excellence in Technology” in 2004, “R&D 100” in 2005 and Edison Patent Award in 2013.
HIGH DOSE DOSIMETERS:
p>Some foods and medical supplies are radiated from 0.1 kGy to 10kGy. Commercially available indicators and dosimeters use of radiochromic dyes which have poor shelf life and are sensitive to UV light. We have discovered some diacetylenes which are sensitive in the dose range of 0.1 kGy to 10 kGy. These high dose dosimeters are not affected by ambient UV light or humidity and will provide a decade of shelf life at room temperature.
3D DOSIMETRY
Recently, color developing 3D solid and gel dosimeters are developed. We were first to develop a solid state 3D dosimeter for radiation therapy planning. Diacetylenes and other radiation sensitive formulations are dispersed or dissolved in an acrylic resin to make the dosimeter. When radiated from different directions, it creates the shape of the tumor in the center.
DO-IT-YOURSELF DEVICE FOR MONITORING RADON
Radon is a radioactive gas which is found in the basements of houses. Radon can cause cancer. Commercially available devices are expensive and need to be returned for analysis. JP Labs has developed a do-it-yourself device for monitoring radon gas which leaves a permanent record with the user. The device has a color producing layer. It is based on the etching of latent tracks produced by the particles emitted by radon which are made visible to naked eye by etching. The concentration of the radon gas is determined from the number of track spots using a calibration chart/table.
PATENTS:
More than fifteen patents are issued and about five patents are pending on these products
MARKET:
The potential market for these products is in tens of millions of dollars per year. Many of these products cost $0.05 to $0.50 and sold for $1 – $10 per piece.
CONTACT:
For additional information, contact Dr. Gordhan Patel, gnpatel@jplabs.com, (1) 732 469 6670
RADTriage Technology
