Professor Hsiao-Ming Lu delivers a speech as the newly-elected vice-chair of the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group. [Photo/WeChat ID: hefeigaoxinfabu]

Professor Hsiao-Ming Lu from Hefei Ion Medical Center was recently elected vice-chair of the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG) at the 60th PTCOG Conference in Miami, Florida, the United States.

The PTCOG, founded in 1985, is a non-profit worldwide organization of scientists and professionals interested in proton, light ion and heavy charged particle radiotherapy.

Lu was the director of clinical physics at the Department of Radiotherapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard Medical School in the US. He has more than 20 years of experience in proton radiotherapy and is a pioneer in the field of proton radiotherapy.

Proton radiotherapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that uses protons to send high-energy beams to treat tumors. It can provide cancer-killing treatment for tumors with minimal harm to surrounding healthy tissue, and has fewer side effects compared with traditional treatments.

In March 2019, he returned to China full-time as the chief medical physics expert and the director of the clinical physics technology department of the Hefei Ion Medical Center. Together with his colleagues at the center, he has developed a series of major clinical and scientific research progress.

The Hefei Ion Medical Center is an international cancer treatment center focusing on the most advanced treatment technologies for proton and photon therapies. It is located in Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone, Hefei, which is located in East China's Anhui province.

The center has an internationally leading Varian ProBeam Proton Therapy System, which includes three full gantry treatment rooms, one fixed beam treatment room and one research room. It is also equipped with two Varian VitalBeam linear accelerators and a suite with Siemens Healthineers diagnostic CT, MR, and auxiliary equipment.

Hefei Ion Medical Center is a project that won the Luban Prize, a major construction and engineering quality award in China. [Photo/WeChat ID: hefeigaoxinfabu]

The Varian ProBeam proton therapy facility at Hefei Ion Medical Center. [Photo/WeChat ID: hefeigaoxinfabu]