220-Ton
Particle Accelerator (Cyclotron) for
World's Largest
Proton Therapy Center
Arrives in Philadelphia |
January 29, 2008 – The region's
only cyclotron completed its 3,700 mile transatlantic
journey from Belgium by arriving with a police
escort from the Port Authority of Philadelphia
to the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at
the University of Pennsylvania.
The cyclotron's job is to accelerate atoms
to near light speeds to create a healing beam
of energy that can then be targeted to kill cancerous/malignant
tumors with unprecedented accuracy, without harming
nearby healthy tissue or organs.
The cyclotron's energy beam will be directed
to five treatment rooms, each over two stories
tall, making the Roberts Proton Therapy Center
the most comprehensive of its kind
in the world.
See also: Video Highlights
and Stories by the News Media
The trip from the Port Authority
to the Roberts Proton Therapy Center lasted over
five hours.
Members of the Mummer
All-Stars, some of which are cancer survivors,
joined the event.
In order for the cyclotron to
be safely transported on paved roads,
a special 19-axle, 200-foot long trailer truck was constructed.
The cyclotron weighs 220-tons,
about the same as a 747 airliner,
but is only
18-feet in diameter and 8-feet high.
The crane prepares to lift the
220-ton cyclotron.
Lifting the 220-Ton Cyclotron
Lowering the Cyclotron
Lowering the Cyclotron
Lowering the Cyclotron
Carefully Positioning the Cyclotron
It takes a well-prepared team
to move the cyclotron into its final resting
place.
Left to Right: Ralph
Muller,
Chief Executive Officer, UPHS; Arthur
Rubenstein, MBBCh,
Exec. VP for the Health System and Dean, School
of Medicine;
Suzanne Roberts; Ralph
Roberts; Michael
Dandorph, MBA,
Senior
Vice President, Business Development, UPHS; Stephen M. Hahn, MD, Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, UPHS
Members
of the Mummer All-Stars
Back to Top ^
News Stories:
Video Highlights:
|
