September 5, 2014 12.02 pm This story is over 114 months old

Lincoln professor’s cancer research in the spotlight

Cancer treatment advances: A Lincoln professor who helped develop innovative cancer treatment technology will take to an international stage with his findings.
The Proton Radiotherapy Verification and Dosimetry Applications, which was developed with the help of a University of Lincoln professor.

A Lincoln professor who helped develop innovative cancer treatment technology will take to an international stage with his findings.

University of Lincoln Professor of Image Engineering, Nigel Allinson MBE, will deliver a talk at the tenth International Conference on Position Sensitive Detectors, taking place from September 7 to 12.

The conference, which takes place at the University of Surrey, features the latest developments from leading researchers around the world.

Professor Allinson will present findings from his proton beam therapy project.

The PRaVDA (Proton Radiotherapy Verification and Dosimetry Applications) project, which is funded by a £1.6 million grant from the Wellcome Trust is pioneered by Professor Allinson.

He and his multinational team are developing one of the most complex medical instruments possible in an attempt to improve the delivery of proton beam therapy in cancer treatment.

Professor Allinson will discuss advances in medical imaging technology, which could make proton beam therapy a viable treatment for cancer sufferers.

Proton beam therapy is a type of particle therapy that uses a beam of protons to irradiate diseased tissue.

The therapy has the ability to deliver high doses of radiation directly to a tumour site with very little radiation being absorbed into healthy tissue.

The grant form the Welcome Trust has already provided a unique instrument capable of producing real-time 3D images – a proton CT – of a patient, drawing data from the same protons used in the treatment itself.

Professor Allinson will also be talking about his research to prospective students at the University of Lincoln open day on September 20.

Professor Allison said: “PRaVDA will ensure more difficult tumours will become treatable and more patients overall will be able to receive this revolutionary treatment.”