Dec 5 2013
The dose in every radiotherapy treatment provided by UK hospitals is determined by instruments calibrated directly against the NPL primary standard. This results in a world-leading national dosimetry system that underpins the rapidly expanding variety of radiotherapy technologies.
"Sir Mark Walport, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, opening the joint NPL-Elekta linac facility"
This new facility represents the culmination of a unique partnership between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Elekta and NPL, and will provide NPL with two clinical linear accelerators.
The first clinical linear accelerator (linac) to be installed at NPL (in 2008) was manufactured by Elekta and is the same as those installed in many hospitals to provide radiotherapy treatments. However, unlike any hospital machine, the one at NPL can be reconfigured to deliver seven different photon energies - instead of the standard two or three energies found on a clinical machine - and ten electron energies. It can also deliver image-guided 4D radiotherapy, in which tumours can be targeted more accurately.
The second clinical linac represents the culmination of a unique partnership between BIS, Elekta and NPL. It will be maintained by Elekta and fitted with the newest technology ahead of its introduction onto the market. The new linac will provide excellent research opportunities to drive forward the development of measurement science in the area of radiation dosimetry. This facility will extend the National Measurement System's commitment to respond to healthcare challenges, specifically improving the treatment of cancer.
The opening included a lecture by Professor Kevin Prise, Queen's University Belfast, who spoke on 'Understanding the effects of radiation and improving radiotherapy'