JAI Seminar: Physics vs Cancer

The sixth talk in the JAI seminar series is due to be given on Thursday 25th February at 16:15, by Dr. Alexander Gerbershagen of CERN. The talk entitled Physics vs. cancer, will discuss the hot topics in particle therapy accelerator development. As has become the norm since the beginning of the current Covid-crisis, the talk will be held on Zoom, which can be accessed by this Zoom link.

The presentation will provide an overview of recent developments in the field of accelerators and beamlines for proton, ion and high-energy electron therapy. It will describe the rising use of the superconducting technology, in particular to its application to the gantry magnets. The advantages and disadvantages of the superconducting technology use are discussed in regards to both proton and ion beam therapy systems. This includes the delineation of the new treatment modalities enabled by the use of superconducting magnets. Furthermore, the principle of FLASH therapy with electron and proton beams is introduced and its challenges in regards to dose distribution, beam stability and dosimetry will be discussed. As a conclusion, the outlook for the potential solutions will be presented.

Dr. Gerbershagen is no stranger to the JAI, having started his career there, completing a DPhil at the University of Oxford in 2013. Following this, he spent four years at the Paul Scherrer institute in Switzerland, working on proton radiotherapy. His current position with CERN's Experimental Areas Group began in 2017, where he sets up, adapts, and develops particle beams for many different experiments, as well as contributing to many other projects.