Physics and Biology of Proton Beam Therapy

Student: Selina Dhinsey
Supervisor: Tim Greenshaw

There is increasing evidence that protons, depending on their energy and the position of cell radiation relative to the Bragg peak, induce a different range of DNA damage compared to x-rays. There is also evidence suggesting that this variety of proton-induced DNA damage can lead to an alternative cellular DNA damage response compared to that caused by x-ray-induced DNA damage, mediated by different DNA damage signalling and repair pathways. Molecular and cellular biological studies and techniques will be combined with MC simulation of beam-cell interaction over a range of energies (up to 60 MeV) to improve our understanding of the radiobiology of proton beam therapy.