its significant advances in implementation. The FAIR accelerator center (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) is a long-term investment in international cutting-edge research and is currently being built

experiment. A subsequent tour of the existing GSI facilities provided insights into medical research on ion-beam therapy, experiment sites such as HADES and R3B and more. Sebastian Sommer was very impressed

also provide the necessary capacity for the future research center FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research), which is currently under construction at GSI. Furthermore, it hosts the so-called Digital

and how carbon ion therapy can be beneficial. We also investigate the combination of carbon ion radiotherapy with different immunotherapies such as anti-cancer mRNA vaccines [19]. Carbon ion radiotherapy [...] für Schwerionenforschung GmbH Figure 1. Comparison of carbon ion radiotherapy, conventional therapy and immunotherapy Figure 2. Carbon ion radiotherapy in combination with immunotherapy (CIRT+CPI) leads [...] vivo model system (osteosarcoma, metastases in the lungs), we were able to demonstrate that carbon ions – in combination with immunotherapy (so-called checkpoint inhibitors), and also alone – could fight

Treatment planning (TRiP98) TRiP98 was the very first treatment planning system for scanned carbon ion beams, used to plan the 430 patients enrolled in the GSI pilot project. Since the end of the project [...] wide range of research applications. TRiP98 features an analytical dose engine validated for multiple ions, also simultaneously, as well as OER- and RBE-models. TRiP98 supports several motion mitigation strategies

to select the most relevant voxels for the optimisation. Dose calculation A simulation of the heavy ions in a patient CT is a complex and time-consuming process, which does not permit the application of [...] required for biological effectiveness (RBE)–weighted optimisation and dose calculation in carbon ion therapy , but struggles with inhomogeneous tissues. To overcome the drawback but keep the benefit of [...] both the helium Bragg peak and carbon fragmentation background, which interferes with conventional ion imaging algorithms for water equivalent thickness reconstruction. We apply deep learning methods to

upright ion arc therapy (DC 5). Figure 2: Uplift consortium The UPLIFT consortium. For details see www.uplift -project.eu In addition, at GSI, we are leading the investigation of upright carbon ion therapy [...] comparison of treatment plans between postures. Figure 3: Comparison of upright and supine carbon ion therapy against lung cance Data from Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Therapy Center, under the

efficiency Combining intensity-modulated carbon ion therapy and carbon ion arcs for a simulataneous integrated boost against hypoxic malignancies Carbon ion arc therapy against multi Development of a dynamic [...] developed bespoke treatment planning and delivery tools for advanced carbon ion arc therapy. Fast, robust treatment plannning for carbon ion arcs is implemented in TRiP98. A beam delivery simulation coupled to [...] investigate the impact of both dynamic carbon ion arcs delivery and anatomical motion. Further, we have developed the world-wide first dynamic carbon ion arc irradiation platform, that is fully integrated

candidate with the Institute of Modern Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is working on heavy-ion arc therapy. © Photo: Maria Chiara Martire M.Sc. Maria Chiara Martire is a PhD student and works on [...] Maximilian Dick is a PhD student working on AI-enhanced online portal imaging with mixed Helium-Carbon ion beams. © Photo: Guangsheng Li M.Sc. Guangsheng Li is a PhD student in the UPLIFT project and works [...] Ghazouani M.Sc Mariem Ghazouani s PhD student developing a small-animal in-beam PET system for carbon-ion range verification in a SAARP machine. © Photo: Moritz Schneider B.Sc. Moritz Schneider is a Master’s

clinical ion beam therapy centers in Heidelberg and Marburg, where patients are now regularly treated with heavy ions. Further information Association for the Promotion of Tumor Therapy with Heavy Ions [...] annually by the Association for the Promotion of Tumor Therapy with Heavy Ions, recognizes exceptional research in the field of ion beam cancer therapy. The recipients accepted their awards on November 20 [...] for her dissertation, “The immunogenic potential of carbon ions and the involved mechanisms in tumor cells.” Her research focuses on how carbon ion irradiation can activate the immune system and achieve a