The quest to understand the natural world is of paramount importance and takes the dedication of many driven minds. One part of this journey is the demystification of the Higgs boson, an elementary particle that gives all matter mass. Such a particle is amongst many others being studied by physicists today, an effort bolstered by Dr. Evelyn Thomson, an experimental particle physicist at the University of Pennsylvania.
Proton beam therapy is an effective treatment option for deep-seated tumors. Although the behavior of protons as they travel through tissue is well understood, there are significant technological challenges involved in generating and optimizing a beam to effectively treat a specific tumor. Proton therapy Monte Carlo simulation packages require designated operating systems and software, thus making it difficult to study the effects of a proton beam in a non-clinical setting. Here we seek to (1) develop a model that captures the salient physics while simulating a proton beam entering the body given the beam energy and beam width, and (2) optimize these properties to effectively target a simulated tumor in three dimensions.
Thirty years after the discovery of cystic fibrosis, researchers have developed a new therapy that is expected to improve the condition of 90 percent of the cystic fibrosis population. Last October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expedited the approval of Trikafta (elexacaftor/ivacaftor/tezacaftor), a triple combination therapy licensed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
