UF
Teaming Up to Make an Impact
Creating a customized, patient-specific Research at UF and the Sanford-based
brain tumor treatment that’s also painless and .decimal seeks to optimize both the unique
non-invasive may sound far-fetched, but two qualities of a proton therapy beam with the best
Corridor innovators are making it happen. practices of radiation delivery to produce truly
optimal tumor control, while also optimizing the
For 30 years, Frank Bova, Ph.D., professor in
preservation of normal tissue function.
the department of neurosurgery at the Univer-
sity of Florida, has been researching and treat- “Without the money we received from The
ing patients with intricate brain tumors using Corridor, we would not have been able to
radiosurgery. Radiosurgery attacks cancerous pursue this project,” said Erhart. “It’s not
brain tumors by accurately targeting radiation in something we would’ve had the time or
large doses to effectively kill the tumor and stop expertise to really accomplish on our own.”
its growth. Depending on the tumor, multiple
procedures may be needed.
A past researcher on an MGRP project when
he was a student at the University of Central
Looking for a more effective technology, Florida, Erhart knew the benefits of partnership
Bova’s team partnered with .decimal’s Chief for the project.
Technology
Officer
Kevin
Erhart,
Ph.D.,
through a Matching Grants Research Program “We have been able to get access to certain
(MGRP) project to develop a technology that resources because of The Corridor, as well
will accelerate cancer treatment by combinin g as build a partnership with the University of
radiosurgery and proton beams. Florida that’s been as beneficial as the money.
We have thrived on projects that help transition
“We thought this was
a unique opportunity
for us to combine
.decimal’s expertise and
our expertise to develop
what could be a really
effective new tool when
looking at treating brain
tumors” said Bova.
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technology from universities or hospitals to the
commercial market, so access to funding for
these types of projects is extremely helpful for
a small company like us.”