Research and development

With the clinical network centers

Apart from specific proton-related issues, proton therapy shares with all types of high-precision radiotherapy problems concerning imaging, positioning, dosimetry, and calculation models. The Proton Therapy Center is working closely with other centers of the clinical network to set up a procedure for combined proton and photon therapy. As such, it is at the forefront of radiotherapy research and development.

With the hadron therapy centers

The Proton Therapy Center has been a member of the international Particle Therapy Cooperative Group (PTCog) since the outset, and has forged scientific links and conducted joint projects with most of the large international centers:

CPU project with the Svedberg Laboratory (TSL) in Sweden, and Ithemba Labs in South Africa;
dosimetry group in Propulse with the DKFZ in Germany, ITEPen in Russia, the Institut Paul-Scherrer (PSI) in Switzerland, and the Svedberg Laboratory (Sweden);
DISPOT project with all ophthalmological proton therapy centers in Europe (PSI, Nice, CCO, HMI, ...), collaborations with the Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, United States), etc.

With universities and research laboratories

Strong bench-to-bedside links at the Institut Curie’s Proton Therapy Center have been facilitated by the center’s advantageous geographical location at the Université Paris-Sud in Orsay, its historical ties with the Orsay Nuclear Physics Institute (IPNO), and its active proton therapy research and development program.

The Proton Therapy Center has put in place numerous collaborations with the Orsay Nuclear Physics Institute/IN2P3 (rapid switching, preliminary study of isocentric gantry, radioprotection), GANIL (cathode pad chambers, beam interceptors), the CEA (diamond dosimetry, Tep, radioprotection, robotics, modeling), the Institut Curie Research Center (radiobiology), and universities and higher education institutes (approximately ten students a year studying subjects directly applicable to treatment).

The building’s infrastructure and the proximity of the research teams facilitate the installation and development of prototypes at the Orsay Proton Therapy Center, prior to application in other centers in France or overseas.

There is an ongoing collaboration with the TERA group of the INFN in Turin on development of a pixel ionization chamber and beam analysis instruments.

With industrial partners

The Institut Curie’s Proton Therapy Center at Orsay is collaborating with several industrial partners on various projects:

extension (IBA/Besix);
automation (Schneider - Keir-Indus);
Panorama supervision (Europ-Supervision);
robotics (Aripa-AS2i);
coils and mechanical components (SEF);
power supplies (JEMA-ELEC).