UPLIFT, a multi-million euro research and training project on upright radiotherapy is launched

Leo Cancer Care is excited to see the launch of UPLIFT, a multi-million euro research and training project on upright radiotherapy.

The work of UPLIFT (UPright radiotherapy: Learning, Innovation, Fellowship and Training) will focus on Learning through associated academic and clinical centers; Innovation through work with industrial partners such as Leo Cancer Care in the development of technology; Fellowship and training through academic programs, workshops, secondments and mentoring with world-class subject matter experts.

The goal of this work is to support the advancement and integration of upright radiotherapy into the radiation therapy world. To make radiotherapy more accessible, sustainable, and more patient-focused.

15 leading scientific institutions and industrial partners are directly involved in UPLIFT:

• GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (the consortium leader)
• German Cancer Research Center DKFZ
• Helmholtz Center Dresden-Rossendorf in Germany
• Czech Technical University in Czech Republic
• Centre Léon Bérard in France
• TheraPanacea also in France
• ASG Superconductors in Italy
• Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO) also in Italy
• Jagiellonian University in Poland
• Cosylab in Slovenia
• RaySearch Laboratories in Sweden
• The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland
• Sheffield Hallam University
• Loughborough University
• Leo Cancer Care in the UK and US

The project is run by GSI scientists, Professor Christian Graeff and Dr. Lennart Volz.

Together these institutions will train 19 PhD students across three upright radiotherapy research areas: treatment planning, clinical workflows, and equipment design.

Facilitating the groundbreaking research being undertaken by this group of institutions is a generous funding contribution awarded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks. This is a highly prestigious research and training program, funded by the European Union (EU). These networks foster international mobility amongst PhD candidates and create synergies between leading universities, clinics and companies across Europe.

UPLIFT is one of the latest MSCA Doctoral Networks to be launched. It has been awarded approximately 4 M€ from the EU, an additional 600 k€ through the Swiss State Secretary for Education (SERI), plus 600 k€ from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Horizon Europe guarantee scheme. This substantial research investment recognizes the global potential of upright radiotherapy to deliver clinical benefits and improve treatment accessibility.

Dr Tracy Underwood, Head of Translational Research at Leo Cancer Care and part of the Executive Board of UPLIFT said: “MSCA Doctoral training networks are transformative for the researchers involved. These networks support exceptional PhD candidates to work both collaboratively and internationally, across academia, hospitals and industry. At Leo Cancer Care we are thrilled to see the launch of UPLIFT and to be a part of it. Research outputs from UPLIFT are likely to play a pivotal role in the clinical optimization of upright radiotherapy.”