Clinical Translation of Microbeam Radiotherapy

Albrecht Struppler Clinician Scientist Fellow Dr. Kim Melanie Kraus and Dr. Stefan Bartzsch (both Clinic for Radiation Oncology, University Hospital rechts der Isar) work in this group together with Prof. Markus Zimmermann (Product Development and Lightweight Design, TUM). They aim to improve the therapeutic window of cancer treatment using microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) by the development of a clinically available compact source for MRT.

MRT is a novel cancer treatment technique based on spatially fractionated radiation with the potential to reduce radiation induced toxicity. Several ten micrometres wide x-ray beams are spaced hundreds of micrometres apart. This unique beam profile has proven superior normal tissue sparing in preclinical experiments. The increase of the therapeutic window between tumour control and toxicity in organs at risk, promises a strong improvement in the treatment of tumours in radiation sensitive areas.

This technique has only been applied preclinically and so far, large synchrotrons are required for beam production. At TUM we combine cutting-edge medical and engineering expertise to translate MRT to a compact bench-top size source that can operate in any hospital. Thus, we aim to substantially improve cancer care in radiation oncology.

TUM-IAS funded doctoral candidate:
Mahadevan Ravichandran, Radiation Oncology / Product Development and Lightweight Design