Betsy Sutherland - Our study shows that we need to re-evaluate the effect...

Our study shows that we need to re-evaluate the effect of protons on biological systems, even the effects of low-energy protons. For example, low-energy protons are routinely used in cancer-tumor therapy, but there has been almost no research done on the effect of protons in tumor cells because everyone has assumed that they act similarly to other low LET radiation types, like x-rays. Therefore, this work may help lead to improved cancer therapy.