We embrace dynamic thinking to improve patient care
Innovation is at the core of our basic science and clinical research programs, with therapies developed in our laboratories finding their way to clinical trials that benefit patients. Our clinical faculty continually evolve treatment techniques to better visualize and improve accuracy during treatment.
$ 3.3 mil
Basic Science funding FY2024
$ 5 mil
clinical research funding FY 2024
5+
Active clinical trials
Our Successes
The Department of Radiation Oncology has made great strides in the development and funding into advanced research of diagnoses and treatments.
Clinical Trials: Targeted Therapy
An article published by UI Health Care researchers in Clinical Cancer Research, suggests that pharmacological ascorbate (high dose intravenous vitamin C), combined with temozolomide and radiotherapy have the potential to enhance survival in patients diagnosed with Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor.
Dynamic Collimation System
The dynamic collimation system (DCS) for sharpening the lateral penumbra of proton therapy dose distributions delivered by spot scanning (SS) proton machines, reduces the spread of low energy protons, by clipping or sharpening the beam. This device is attached to the nozzle of a proton gantry and two pairs of parallel nickel trimmer blades rapidly move to "trim" the beam.
Radioresistance in GBM
Radiotherapy is one of the most effective non-surgical ways of treating glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive brain tumor. However, resistance that develops during treatment limits its efficacy. This five-year NIH R01 grant affords Corrine Griguer PhD's lab the chance to explore how the electron transport chain super complexes affect GBM resistance to radiation and provide therapies to treat radio-resistant tumors.