discovered 02_2012

discovered 02.12 FOCUS WWW.Hzdr.DE // From basic science research to preclinical studies, to the effective – and personalized – radiation treatment of malignant tumors: these are the major steps along the ambitious path pursued by Dresden- based OncoRay partners. In the hope that particle therapy can one day be made available to every single cancer patient who might derive a potential benefit from it, scientists at HZDR are currently working on a compact accelerator technology based on high-power lasers. _TEXT . Christine Bohnet & Sara Schmiedel Translation . Dennis Schulz Targeting the tumor with just the right dose More than 450,000 Germans are diagnosed with cancer each year - a number that is expected to go up over the next few years given the country‘s aging population. All over the world, researchers are in a race against time to discover ever better, ever faster, and ever more affordable options for the successful diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Over the last few years, the city of Dresden, Germany, has developed into an internationally visible cancer research hub. The OncoRay Center is, as its name implies, a site with an especially strong focus on radiation research. At OncoRay – the National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology – University Hospital Dresden, the TU (Technical University) Dresden, and HZDR are also closely working with colleagues at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and University Hospital Heidelberg DRACO: Taking a peek into the target chamber; here, the proton beam is generated in vacuum. Image credit: Jürgen Lösel

discovered 02_2012

Pages