Body Text
Competitive advantage
- One of only four engineering approaches in the world to this problem
- The Australian MRI-Linac is a unique ‘in-line’ system with the magnetic field parallel to the radiation beam. This results in different radiation dosimetry properties to perpendicular systems
Impact
- Early international studies suggest the real-time combination of image guidance and radiotherapy results in better survival for poor-outcome cancers
- The physiologic imaging capabilities of the MRI enable a virtual whole-tumour biopsy prior to and during each treatment, enabling real-time adaptive physiological targeting as a unique way to treat cancer
Successful outcomes
- First human images were obtained in March 2017
- First live MRI-Linac treatment in the southern hemisphere was performed using a rat brain tumour model In January 2019
- Planning for human studies underway
Capabilities and facilities
- The prototype magnet is a 1 Tesla split system designed to let the high energy X-ray beam travel through an open bore parallel to the magnetic field
- The research program is embedded into Liverpool Hospital and involves collaboration between numerous universities and scientific organisations
- Team history of scientific and technological advances in MRI and radiotherapy physics and engineering, as well as the clinical practice of MRI-Linac cancer radiotherapy
- Team record of research translation resulting in improvements in hardware, workflow, patient outcomes and policy
Our partners
- The research program is embedded into the Ingham Institute working with Liverpool Hospital and involves collaboration between numerous universities and scientific organisations.