Indiana University Cyclotron Operations (IUCO)

Design, engineering and support services for the IU Health Proton Therapy Center are provided by Indiana University Cyclotron Operations (IUCO). The Strategic Physics Development Group with the engineers and technical staff at IUCO are part of the original team that designed and constructed the proton therapy system. In doing so they achieved and put into use a number of significant technological advances: the first clinical use of scanned beam delivery, and new and innovative methods for dose monitoring. In addition to servicing the IU Health Proton Therapy Center, IUCO continues to advance proton therapy technology through grant and contract funded research in collaboration with the physicians and staff at the IU Health Proton Therapy Center and at the IU Department of Radiation Oncology. IUCO business activities include a state-of-the-art machine shop that provides all the patient specific devices to the IU Health Proton Therapy Center and a Radiation Effects Research Program where NASA engineers and astronauts bring space bound equipment for tests in a simulated space radiation environment using proton beams.

Indiana University Department of Radiation Oncology

Physicists as well as physicians at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center have active collaborations with the IU Health Proton Therapy Center physicists in both fundamental and clinical research. Comparison between proton therapy and IMRT with external beam is always an interesting and clinically relevant topic in research. With the advanced technologies available at the IU Simon Cancer Center, such as IMRT, IGRT, gamma knife, the collaboration between the two centers will answer some of the outstanding questions in the radiation therapy: What are the pros and cons of the two modalities in cancer management? Is there a preferred treatment technique for a given disease site? Which modality may afford better quality of life to patient? 

Sicel Technologies, Inc.

Manufacturer of the OneDose MOSFET in-vivo dosimeter and DVS implantable dosimeter. Both products were designed for the conventional external beam radiation therapy with X-rays. Because of the small detector size and its flexible design, we wanted to investigate the use of OneDose for proton therapy, thus starting the collaboration with Sicel. The OneDose MOSFET dosimeters in our study of in-vivo dosimetry in proton therapy were supplied by Sicel Technologies, Inc.

Landauer

Manufacturer of the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) detectors, the NanoDot dosimeter. Landauer is a leader in the world supplying personal radiation monitoring devices (i.e. radiation badges) all over the world. OSL (optically-stimulated-luminescence) detectors are the latest technology provided by Landauer as a dose measuring device for CT scanners. We are interested in researching if OSL can also be used to measure beam data for scanning proton beams.