National proton therapy research infrastructure

Proton therapy is a novel type of radiation therapy of cancer that will be available in Norway from March 2025. Children and young patients are currently sent abroad to receive proton therapy as it can offer a gentler form of radiation treatment than conventional x-ray therapy. Proton therapy has potential beyond toxicity reduction, and there is a great need for both experimental and clinical research to gain more knowledge about this treatment and to establish new indications for proton therapy. The importance of research in proton therapy was clearly outlined in the mandate for the National proton therapy project, and there will be dedicated areas for research in the two facilities being built in Oslo and Bergen. Clinical research will be important and there is a national goal that 75% of the patients should be treated within a clinical trial. A National infrastructure for proton therapy is needed and is on Oslo University Hospital’s and Haukeland University Hospital’s roadmaps for research infrastructure. In this pre-project we will coordinate the establishment of a national infrastructure in proton therapy through three work packages. In the first work package we will identify potential technical solutions needed to bridge the gap between the coming Norwegian infrastructure and the future requirements. Also, the distribution of infrastructure capabilities between institutions must be clarified to obtain a commonly organized infrastructure. In the second work package, we will explore novel avenues in proton therapy research and identify research projects where Norway can take a leading role. In the last work package, we will organize and develop strategies for communication, identify users and anchor our plans at the national institutions. An approved national plan for infrastructures including long term funding will be the main deliverable of this pre-project and serve as basis for a full application for a national infrastructure for proton therapy research.