Two tech giants on the Peninsula are teaming up to improve cancer treatments with innovative, cutting-edge technology.
The Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute and Australia-based Leo Cancer Care have entered a partnership in hopes of making breakthroughs in cancer treatments. The technology they’re working on will speed up cancer treatments, make them more effective and get more people in the door.
Keith Goesel is a current cancer patient. He explained how cancer treatments at the institute currently work.
“It’s a hard table and you can’t move. You’re not supposed to move as they’re shooting protons at a certain spot exactly,” said Goesel.
He says the treatment process, which entails laying on a table while a proton beam is repositioned around him, takes time and causes discomfort.
“They said I have a small amount of cancer that’s moved from the prostate over to a bone,” said Goesel.
But Alejandro Carabe the institute’s Chief Medical Physicist, says new the technology on the horizon will make cancer treatments more comfortable.
“No other center is doing this. We’re going to be the first ones in the world,” said Carabe.
In their joint effort, the institute and Leo Cancer Care have developed a chair that patients will sit in while a proton beam moves around them continuously.
“We’re going to go into this rotational modality that has never been used before, so that’s going to help to spare more normal tissue it’s going to help to reduce discomfort after the treatment for the patients that receive this treatment,” said Carabe.
In addition to improving the treatment recipients’ comfort levels, the chair will also allow the institute to treat three times the patients.
Jefferson Lab in Newport News is creating the actual proton imaging to be used with the chair. Cynthia Keppel, the lab’s Associate Director of Physics, says the lab’s technology is ideal for the project.
“We have a particular technology that will be implemented with the chair, which is called proton CT. So, you’ve probably heard about CT imaging, which is a three-dimensional X-ray. X-rays use x-ray radiation; you can also do 3D imaging with protons,” said Keppel.
Keppel says the partnership is a win for cancer patients everywhere and aligns with the lab’s mission.
“I think it’s very important for humanity to look at fundamental questions. Our kids ask, 'What is everything made of?' But it’s also very important to use things that we learn for the direct and nearer term benefit,” said Keppel.
The new technology at the institute is expected to be implemented by 2026.
