China develops heavy-ion medical accelerator

Chinese researchers have developed a heavy-ion medical accelerator to be used in radiotherapy for cancer, researchers said Thursday.

A recent test of the machine's beam was successful, marking the end of China's dependence on imported equipment, according to researchers with the Institute of Modern Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is based in northwest China's Gansu Province.

The researchers said the newly-developed machine is able to accelerate carbon ion beams to 400 mega electron volts per nucleon and provide slow and resonant non-linear extraction.

Modern day cancer radiation treatments employ heavy-ion accelerators to bombard a target with high-energy electrons to kill cancer cells.

The institute started developing the machine from May 2012 after six decades of research. Currently only one Chinese hospital, based in Shanghai, has imported the expensive equipment from abroad for cancer treatment.

As soon as the accelerator passes evaluation and inspection by the China Food and Drug Administration, clinical tests will start before the machine is finally put into full use for therapy. Endi