Back to Medical Applications of Particle Accelerators (NPAP MOOC)
Lund University

Medical Applications of Particle Accelerators (NPAP MOOC)

Hello and welcome to this course! The NPAP - Medical Applications of Accelerators is one out of three courses in the Nordic Particle Accelerator Program (NPAP). Here you will be taken on a tour focusing on the medical applications of particle accelerators. You will see that there are two very important, but different, applications of accelerators in hospitals. The first application concerns radiotherapy of tumours and the other concerns the production of medical nuclides for diagnosis and treatment. Both will be included in this course and described through four modules. The first module offers the basic principles of radiotherapy from a medical and physics point of view. You there learn about the main components of the machines used for radiotherapy and get to know why radiotherapy is important for cancer treatments. The second module guides you through the different types of linear accelerators used in the machines for radiotherapy. It also describes the design of the treatment head. The design is important because it is the settings of the treatment head that determines the dose and the radiated region. It is also in the treatment head where the dose given to the patient is measured. In the third module you are introduced to proton therapy. In this type of therapy protons are first accelerated and then guided down to the tumour by magnets. The machines are considerably larger and more expensive than machines used for radio therapy. The module also offers a description and comparison between different types of accelerators, and explains how the protons interact with tissue. Also ions that are heavier than protons can be used in cancer therapy. This is described in the fourth module, where we also introduce you to the production of medical nuclides. You learn how the nuclides are produces in proton and ion accelerators and how the nuclides come into play at different places in hospitals. Medical nuclides are for instance used in Positron Electron Tomography, PET. Enjoy!

Status: Radiation Therapy
Status: Biomedical Engineering
BeginnerCourse8 hours

Featured reviews

YI

5.0Reviewed Apr 24, 2023

If you want to delve in the medical aspect of physics, i would recommend this course to you

AP

4.0Reviewed May 30, 2020

Informative but the instructor was a bit monotonous. It was a bit hard to engage but I learned a lot about radiotherapy, its potential and its current flaws.

MR

5.0Reviewed Feb 27, 2020

Is it possible to send me the certificate. I already completed this course. ThanksMotiur

FR

4.0Reviewed Mar 24, 2023

Thank you for teaching and providing the opportunity of learning about radiotherapy and ion therapy.

MD

5.0Reviewed Jun 27, 2020

This course is very useful to everyone. I have to learn some different techniques, like homiao therapy, chemotherapy ect....

SM

5.0Reviewed Aug 16, 2020

It is very useful to me thanks alot for you,i hope you will be continue

RC

5.0Reviewed May 16, 2020

I got very well knowledge about particles accelerators ,thank you coursera

PJ

5.0Reviewed Oct 15, 2020

Amazing course! lectures are short and sweet! this is recommended for medical engineering students, engineering, physics students, and other healthcare students!

CL

5.0Reviewed Aug 11, 2022

Thank you for giving me a chance to study the course with financial aid. The course is very beneficial and good. I wish University Lund launch many course about medical physics more.

EK

4.0Reviewed Jun 28, 2020

Thanks for first, i learned from this course the structure and function of accelerator and i have also known difference kind of pronton therapy and how they are produced.

CA

5.0Reviewed Aug 23, 2021

Excellent introduction with practical information on various commercial accelerators

DB

5.0Reviewed May 19, 2020

The course content is good, nicely explained by video tutorials and notes. Good for beginner and learned about medical physics and its clinical application.

All reviews

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