Tami Freeman

Radiation therapy is an essential component of cancer care and is used in the treatment of roughly half of all cancer patients. To ensure that these treatments are both safe and effective, it’s critical that the linear accelerators, or linacs, that deliver the radiation are as reliable, efficient and accurate as possible.

Experimental setup Neutron dose measurement points within the treatment room, showing gantry angles, measurement lines (φ) and distances from the isocentre. (Courtesy: Phys. Med. Biol. 10.1088/1361-6560/ae72e7) Proton therapy plays an increasingly important role in cancer treatments, targeting tumours with high precision while sparing nearby healthy tissues. Proton irradiation can, however, also produce secondary neutrons due to nuclear interactions of the therapeutic beam.

Non-contact detection Researchers have developed a low-cost technique that uses recordings of the subject snoring to help diagnose the common sleep disorder obstructive sleep apnoea. (Courtesy: iStock/amenic181) Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a sleep disorder in which the throat muscles relax and block the airway during sleep, causing pauses in breathing. If left untreated, OSA can lead to serious health problems.