UCI researchers receive prestigious NIH U01 award to advance cancer treatment

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) has received a prestigious $3.7 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support groundbreaking cancer research. Led by Shawn Xiang, PhD, an associate professor in the Departments of Radiological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, this project will explore a new imaging technique, protoacoustic/ultrasound imaging, with the potential to improve the precision of a cutting-edge cancer treatment called FLASH proton therapy.

This research, part of the NIH Academic-Industrial Partnerships program, aims to improve the precision of radiotherapy with image guidance. Unlike traditional X-ray-based radiotherapy, which can affect surrounding tissues, proton therapy deposits energy directly at the Bragg peak—a precise point in the tumor—making it a potentially safer and more effective treatment. The team will use ultrasound waves created by the proton beam’s energy to visualize the Bragg peak in real time, aided by AI-based imaging algorithms that will allow them to accurately monitor and measure the radiation dose delivered during treatment.

“Our research will enable 3D imaging of the proton beam’s Bragg peak as treatment happens,” said Xiang. “This real-time feedback could pave the way for adaptive radiotherapy, allowing clinicians to make instant adjustments that were previously impossible in current clinical practice.”

Xiang’s team is collaborating with Yong Chen at Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma, which has a proton therapy machine, and with Lei Ren at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who will contribute his expertise in AI-based image reconstruction.

“This work represents one of the many strengths of UCI’s imaging research,” said Vahid Yaghmai, Chair of the Departments of Radiological Sciences and Radiation Oncology at UCI. “Though Orange County currently lacks a proton center, Dr. Xiang’s innovative research brings us closer to making these advancements accessible to our cancer patients in the future.”