{
  "abstract": "The Laboratory for High Energy Physics and the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Bern are establishing a pre-clinical proton therapy research facility at the Bern University Hospital (Inselspital). The facility centers on the Bern Medical Cyclotron, an 18 MeV compact cyclotron designed for microampere-range beam currents for radioisotope production. The Bern Medical Cyclotron can be adapted as a highly accessible and customizable platform for pre-clinical proton therapy research, enabling advanced modalities such as ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) radiotherapy and spatially fractionated radiation therapy. Human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and mouse melanoma (B16-F10) cell lines were irradiated with 8.14(29) MeV protons at conventional dose rates and with 225 kV X-rays at doses from 0 to 8 Gy. Clonogenic survival assays were analyzed using the linear-quadratic model, and relative biological effectiveness values were derived by comparing the proton and X-ray doses required for 0.1 survival. Proton irradiation yielded steeper survival curves than X-rays, indicating higher cytotoxicity. B16-F10 cells were most sensitive, with a relative biological effectiveness of 1.34 at 0.1 survival, while HaCaT cells showed a relative biological effectiveness of 1.21. These results confirm enhanced proton effectiveness in cell killing and demonstrate that the Bern Medical Cyclotron provides a reliable platform for radiobiological studies. Establishing in vitro proton irradiation capability marks a key milestone toward developing a comprehensive pre-clinical radiobiology research facility in Bern. Ongoing upgrades will further refine dosimetry and proton delivery, paving the way for future FLASH and proton spatially fractionated radiation therapy studies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.37623",
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Eva Kasanda"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jan Gruber"
    },
    {
      "name": "Pierluigi Casolaro"
    },
    {
      "name": "Lars Eggimann"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alexander Gottstein"
    },
    {
      "name": "Isidre Mateu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Paolo Pellicioli"
    },
    {
      "name": "Maria Vittoria Rossi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Paola Scampoli"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cristian Fernandez-Palomo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Saverio Braccini"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6xdwak0c5n1b7.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.37623",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6xdwak0c5n1b7",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.37623",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.med-ph"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2740|Radiation Therapy and Dosimetry"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214977385",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.37623",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-29",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6xdwak0c5n1b7.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:25:31Z",
      "native_id": "2609.37623",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.37623"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.med-ph",
      "subfield": "biological-medical"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Using a radiopharmaceutical production cyclotron for radiobiological research",
  "title_text": "Using a radiopharmaceutical production cyclotron for radiobiological research",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:25:31Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6xdwak0c5n1b7",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}