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News Release

Last modified: Monday, December 9, 2002

Indiana University to unveil Midwest's first proton-based cancer treatment clinic

Indiana legislative notables and Indiana University VIPs will be on hand for the dedication of IU's new Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute (MPRI) at 4 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 12). The new medical outpatient clinic on the Bloomington campus, which will officially open its doors to cancer patients and others in spring 2003, will be the country's third such facility -- and the only one located in the Midwest.

MPRI Director Allan Thornton will be joined by U.S. Rep. John Hostettler, Indiana State Sen. Vi Simpson, IU President Myles Brand, IU Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm, IU Trustees President Frederick Eichhorn Jr., and IU Cyclotron Facility Director John Cameron for the event. It will be held at the Cyclotron facility, 2401 Milo Sampson Lane.

Proton radiotherapy is an alternative to conventional X-ray radiation therapy, both of which are used to kill cancer cells and other rogue tissue. Unlike X-rays, however, proton radiation does not do significant damage to the healthy cells around a cancerous growth. Minimizing the death of healthy tissue is especially important when the patient is a child who still has a lot of growing to do.

Design and construction of the MPRI was funded by the State of Indiana, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Special Programs, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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