Patent Design to Improve Cancer Therapy Device

At the US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., four physicists have received a patent for the design of a “medical synchrotron” capable of delivering precision doses of proton radiation to cancerous tumors with minimal damage to healthy surrounding tissue. More precise and less costly than existing proton-therapy systems, the device potentially could increase the treatment’s availability and could benefit cancer patients worldwide. The scientists are seeking partners to license and commercialize the technology.