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Australian Synchrotron breaks new ground

5 March 2008

Work has commenced on a new $10 million dollar project at the Synchrotron. Photo courtesy Peter Bennetts.

A new era in Australian research into chronic diseases like cancer started at the Australian Synchrotron last month, with construction beginning on a new $10 million facility for advanced medical research.

Victorian Minister for Innovation, Gavin Jennings, said the new beamline would be the first at the centre to be used for research into new techniques for medical diagnosis and therapy.

"This new beamline, one of the first in the world, will be the centrepiece of the Imaging and Medical Therapy centre," Mr Jennings said.

"Opening in late 2008, the new Imaging and Medical Therapy Centre will use synchrotron x-rays to advance studies in biological, medical and industrial sciences.

"It will lead to major advances in medical, biomedical and industrial imaging and importantly assist with the development and delivery of new cancer treatments."

Health Minister Daniel Andrews said cancer was the leading cause of death for Victorians, with one in three affected by the disease.

"The beamline will continue to foster Victoria's international reputation in cancer research," Mr Andrews said.

Catherine Walter, Chair of the Australian Synchrotron Company, said the announcement was an important milestone in the development of the facility.

"We already have a world-class synchrotron. This new development has the potential to take us to the forefront of biomedical research and position us within the top three synchrotron facilities world-wide in this field," Ms Walter said.

The announcement at the Australian Synchrotron was part of a two day Cabinet Forum to focus on Victoria's biotechnology and medical research sector.

"The Victorian Government's Biotechnology Strategic Development Plan aims to position the State among the world's top five destinations for biotechnology by 2010," Mr Jennings said.

Professor Rob Lewis, the Director of the Monash Centre for Synchrotron Science said: "This beamline will provide exciting new opportunities for researchers at Monash University, who up until now, have had to conduct biomedical imaging and radiotherapy research using synchrotron facilities in Japan, the USA and Europe, with all the associated difficulties posed by quarantine restrictions. Eventually, this beamline will allow diagnosis and radiotherapy treatment for humans, as well as the most sophisticated experimental x-ray imaging. Current research includes studies into how newborn animals breathe, lung physiology and cystic fibrosis, the structure of hard tissues such as bones and teeth and the development of new cancer treatment called microbeam radiation therapy."

He added "Of special interest to Monash University researchers is our development of new laboratories that that will house both scientists developing new detectors and imaging technologies and access to other equipment that will provide functional imaging studies and that will be located 'just across the fence' from the Beamline satellite building. Access to such a battery of state-of-the-art facilities will be unique. It really is an exciting time to be working at Monash."