AI-guided proton therapy that adapts during treatment for head and neck cancer
Official title: Online Adaptive Proton Therapy
Funded at Mayo Clinic Arizona · NIH-11314566 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Using AI to build 3D images from routine X-rays so proton therapy can be updated during treatment for people with head and neck cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Arizona NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Scottsdale, United States) |
| Project start | April 9, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $511,016 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EB293388-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11314566 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with head and neck cancers who are receiving or scheduled for intensity-modulated proton therapy, especially at centers that perform adaptive replanning or lack 3D on-board imaging.
✕Less likely to help
Patients treated with only photon therapy, patients with cancers outside the head and neck region, or people who cannot access proton therapy are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
Proton therapy can spare healthy tissue but is sensitive to changes in anatomy that happen during a treatment course, especially for head and neck cancers. This project uses an AI model that learns to turn two routine 2D X-ray views into a 3D CT-like image to detect those changes. The synthetic 3D images would be used to speed up on-the-spot replanning so treatments can be adapted more often during a course. That workflow aims to improve alignment and organ protection while reducing the extra workload of adaptive planning, and it is designed to help centers without full 3D on-board imaging.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make proton therapy more accurate and reduce radiation to healthy tissues, lowering side effects for head and neck cancer patients.
How similar studies have gone: Prior AI work to create synthetic CTs and to speed adaptive radiotherapy has shown promising early results, but applying an end-to-end AI workflow specifically for online adaptive proton therapy is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Mayo Clinic Arizona
Scottsdale, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Wei — Mayo Clinic Arizona
- Study coordinator: Liu, Wei
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.