QUASAR group receives funding for beam and dose monitoring system

A new way to optimise dose delivery and beam monitoring for proton beam therapy has gained £300k funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

JetDose technology offers potential to improve treatment outcomes and increase patient throughput at cancer treatment centres.

JetDose is a novel real-time beam monitor and dosimetry system being developed by the University of Liverpool’s QUASAR group in collaboration with beam instrumentation innovator D-Beam, IBA which specialises in ion beam treatment facilities, and clinical facilities in the UK and abroad.

Project leader and University of Liverpool department of physics head Professor Carsten Welsch said the project will address a global unmet need: “A complete knowledge of beam properties is essential to ensure effective cancer treatment, so calibration is done at intervals. Currently there is no way to do this without interfering with the beam.

“JetDose provides non-invasive assessment that will run in parallel with the treatment, continuously monitoring the beam in real-time to ensure the highest levels of accuracy and safety.”

Picture: A supersonic gas jet beam profiler.

Published on page 21 of the December 2021 issue of RAD Magazine.