Curious about how science and medicine unite to fight cancer? Here at OncoRay \u2013 National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, that’s exactly what happens. OncoRay’s vision is bold. It wants to improve cancer treatment using biologically individualized and technically optimized radiotherapy.
OncoRay is not just another research center. It represents a new effort in radiation research. It builds on Dresden’s international reputation and extensive research infrastructure. OncoRay focuses on translational research. This means turning lab results into patient treatments as quickly as possible.
Imagine radiation therapy precisely targeting a tumor. This precision can often completely cure it. Metastatic cancer, the fatal stage of the disease, can often be avoided. Unlike other treatments, radiotherapy precisely distributes treatment to individual patients. That’s what OncoRay strives for.
New high-precision delivery techniques and advances in molecular biology are revolutionizing radiotherapy. This requires biology, physics, and medicine to work together. OncoRay carefully interweaves these multiple disciplines.
In 2005, Dresden established a Center for Innovation in Radiation Oncology. It was part of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research program. This center became OncoRay. It’s jointly operated by the University of Technology of Dresden. The University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf also participate.
Researchers at the HZDR Institute of Radiooncology \u2013 OncoRay work in various groups. They are part of the umbrella research platform OncoRay. OncoRay researchers collaborate with physicians from Dresden University Hospital’s Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology. Together, they conduct clinical studies. These studies examine promising research results. Clinician scientists work as both physicians and researchers. They naturally bridge the gap between clinic and lab. Other hospitals, research groups, and industrial partners are also involved, both nationally and internationally.
OncoRay involves 80 researchers from three operating institutions. These are the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden, and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. At OncoRay, they work in cross-disciplinary programs. These programs focus on medicine, physics, biology, and information science.
Biologically individualized radiotherapy is a key area of research. This includes preclinical biomarker development. Researchers also model treatment effects. This helps select patients for particle therapy and different beam qualities. Image-guided radiotherapy is another focus. Technological optimization of proton therapy is vital. This includes laser-accelerated particle radiotherapy. Combined treatments are also explored. These involve targeted therapies in preclinical and clinical settings.
OncoRay achieved a milestone with the first patient treatment using proton therapy. This used interfractional proton range verification by Prompt Gamma-Ray Imaging.
Approximately half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy. Improvements in radiation oncology therapy benefit many patients. Scientists at OncoRay cooperate across disciplines and institutions. They work with scientists and physicians at Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden and Carl Gustav Carus Medical Faculty at TU Dresden. Collaboration with the Institute of Radiation Physics and the Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research is also important.
Research teams at OncoRay focus on several key areas. Biomarkers for Individualized Radiotherapy are studied by Prof. Dr. Anna Dubrovska’s group. High-precision proton therapy is led by Prof. Dr. Christian Richter. Prof. Dr. Esther Troost leads Image Guided High Precision Radiotherapy. Dr. Toni Kögler heads Prompt-Gamma based treatment verification. Laser-Radiooncology is led by PD Dr. Jörg Pawelke. Experimental MR-integrated proton therapy is under Prof. Dr. Aswin Hoffmann.
OncoRay’s dedication to translational research means that new discoveries quickly reach patients. This integrated approach, blending various scientific fields, is revolutionizing cancer treatment. OncoRay offers hope for more effective and personalized cancer therapies.