Using particle physics in medicine

Medical physicists work at the cutting edge of experimental and theoretical research. It is an incredibly diverse and growing area of physics, often working across disciplines. An understanding of particle and quantum physics is crucial in order to develop new and innovative technologies that can be used both for medical imaging and therapeutically (for treating disease). In this video, Dr. Laura Sinclair explains the role of a medical physicist and the applications of nuclear medicine.

Medical imaging

Medical imaging requires sensitive particle detectors with high resolution in order to obtain the best possible images. In the next step, PhD student Ruth Hardy will describe her research using quantum entanglement to improve PET scans (Positron Emission Tomography).

Therapeutic applications

Research into new cancer treatments is a large area of investigation and many techniques involve targeting the tumour with high energy particles. Selecting the most appropriate particles is crucial. In this course, we are going to investigate the differences between radiotherapy using X-ray photons and proton beams.