Cosylab is Part of the New Radiation Therapy UPLIFT Project!

Radiation therapy (RT) is a crucial component of modern cancer treatment. Traditionally, patients are treated lying down while the beam is guided around the body using a gantry, allowing for precise tumour targeting from various angles. UPLIFT (UPright radiotherapy: Learning, Innovation, Fellowship and Training), however, focuses on an alternative method of administering treatment with the patient upright.

This approach reduces space requirements and lowers treatment costs, aligning with the UN's sustainable development goals. Upright radiotherapy has the potential to address the global disparity in access to radiation therapy resources, making life-saving or life-extending treatments more accessible worldwide. Additionally, treating patients upright enhances comfort and offers anatomical and physiological benefits, such as reducing respiratory motion.

However, vital scientific questions about upright positioning remain, and UPLIFT aims to address these while achieving technical and scientific breakthroughs. It also seeks to establish a Europe-wide network of experts trained in this unconventional patient positioning. As the first clinics begin adopting upright radiotherapy technologies, there is already a growing demand for trained professionals in industry, clinics, and universities to fully realise the benefits for patient care.

Professor Christian Graeff and Dr Lennart Volz, leading GSI scientists and project leaders, underline that "UPLIFT will revolutionise modern radiation therapy, making it more patient-centred, accessible, and sustainable. The research project could not only reduce treatment costs but also improve comfort and outcomes for patients, positioning Europe at the forefront of the upright radiotherapy paradigm shift."

Kristjan Anderle, PhD, lead Cosylab scientist at UPLIFT, is enthusiastic regarding the research collaboration, stating, "We are excited to collaborate in such a project as UPLIFT, which has the potential to significantly expand future radiation treatment methods in the fight against cancer, employing the alternative setting of patients in an upright position, which not only allows them to be positioned in front of a fixed beam but also offers clinical advantages, saves treatment-room space and reduces costs. Cosylab is also the leader of the Dissemination Work Package, which will support the project by creating awareness in the scientific community, general public, and policymakers about the progress and results of UPLIFT."

The UPLIFT project is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101168955. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.