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Radiation Oncology

The Radiation Oncology Program at NCT Heidelberg focuses on the development of particle therapy with clinical proton and carbon ion beams as well as novel sources of radiation at Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT), such as helium and oxygen ions. Beyond established radiobiological concepts centered on tumor cell killing, this program aims to decipher the biological effect landscape of a prescribed physical dose (NCT-Biodose trial), to shed light on the differential effects of radiation qualities at relevant tumor niches i.e., angiogenic, hypoxic, fibrotic and immune niches.

To exploit the full potential of high-precision and enhanced radiobiological effectiveness of particle beams towards personalized oncology (NCT-PRO trial), biomarker-tailored patient stratification and rationally designed multimodal therapy strategies are developed. As the third cornerstone, the clinical translation program converges and implements findings by PRO and Biodose with cutting-edge image (MRI) guidance towards the development of next-generation multidisciplinary adaptive radiotherapy with ions and x-rays (NCT-MATRIX trial). The NCT radiation oncology program forms an important seed for numerous national and international research initiatives e.g., DFG (SFB-1389), BMBF (ARTEMIS) and EU consortia (PREDICT).

Schematic structure of radiation oncology

Translation in Radiation Oncology – from basic research to clinical trials