Science

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Proton therapy
A gamma-camera can monitor a proton beam during therapy in real-time. Proton therapy is regarded as a promising new form of radiotherapy for cancer patients.

It has the potential to deliver higher doses to tumors with far less damage to surrounding tissue than conventional radio-therapy. Focusing the beam on the right spot is thus of utmost importance. Prof. Freek Beekman, Dr. Victor Blom and Dr. Leila Joulaeizadeh have shown that a gamma-camera with a narrow slit, positioned perpendicular to the beam, can pinpoint the location of the proton beams’ focal point (‘Bragg Peak’) during therapy. In the magazine Physics and Medicine in Biology (9 December 2011), they show the detection works both fast (within 10 milliseconds) and precise (better than 1 millimetre). Currently there are no facilities for proton therapy in the Netherlands. TU Delft participates in the lobby initiative Holland Particle Therapy Center (HollandPTC). stacks.iop.org/PMB/57/297



Economy mode

Under starvation, yeast cells can switch to ‘economy mode’, slowing down their metabolism by at least 100-fold. Researchers from the Kluyver lab for biotechnology (Applied Sciences) published this finding in the scientific magazine Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. The yeast they worked with had been cultured under caloric restriction (enough calories to survive but not enough to multiply). Comparison of their genomic activity before and during starvation showed that starvation and caloric restriction evoke different physiological states.


4×4

Four-wheel drive instead of two-wheel drive, lighter and more energy efficient – these are a few of the improvements the DUT Racing team foresees in designing their new electric racing car. Each year the students participate in the international Formula Student competition, in which over 400 student teams participate. Currently, DUT Racing is ranked number one. Next week they will present their design to the media. www.dutracing.nl



Fellow 

Biotechnologist Professor Sef Heijnen, of the faculty of Applied Sciences, was recently elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), an advocacy group for medical and biological engineering which aims to raise awareness about the field, to improve medical technology and food quality, and to connect biomedical researchers in order to share their ideas and research. 

De Leidse hoogleraar Prof.dr. Wim van den Poel, decaan geesteswetenschappen, heeft daar weinig vertrouwen in. “Die (investeringen) zijn ingeboekt voor 2015, als het volgende kabinet net alweer bijna moet aantreden”, zegt hij in de NRC. “De universiteiten worden als twintig jaar geconfronteerd met bezuinigingen. De bodem is in zicht.”

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