The Centre

The Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research is set to become a landmark healthcare facility, offering specialised proton radiation treatments to paediatric, adolescent, and adult patients who are battling rare forms of cancer. As a pioneering initiative, it will not only be Australia’s inaugural proton therapy unit but will also hold the distinction of being the first such facility in the southern hemisphere.

Proton therapy is renowned for its precision and non-invasive nature, uniquely designed to target cancerous cells with remarkable accuracy. This specialised treatment significantly reduces collateral damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Such precision is invaluable, particularly when treating younger patients or addressing cancers located near critical organs.

Strategically situated, the Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research will occupy the ground floor and three below-ground levels of the Australian Bragg Centre building. Construction of the building was completed in September of 2023. This state-of-the-art facility is adjacent the iconic SAHMRI building on North Terrace in Adelaide. Once the proton therapy unit is installed there will be a period of testing and calibration before patient treatment begins.

In addition to its clinical offerings, the centre will serve as a vital node in an international research network focused on proton therapy. While this cutting-edge technology offers promising avenues for treatment, it remains an area that requires further validation. Currently, proton therapy has demonstrated effectiveness against a limited variety of cancers, but the scope for its application is broad and worthy of further investigation. Therefore, our centre is committed to advancing research in this field to explore its full potential for treating a wider array of diseases.

In a quest for continual improvement and excellence, the Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research leads the development of the TROG 21.12 Australian Particle Therapy Clinical Quality Registry (ASPIRE). ASPIRE is a collaborative initiative aimed at gathering comprehensive data on the outcomes of particle therapy treatments across Australia. By contributing to this national database, we aspire to establish an evidence-based framework that can guide best practices and policy decisions in the field of proton therapy.

The TROG 21.12 Registry serves as a critical tool for monitoring patient outcomes, tracking long-term effects, and evaluating the cost-effectiveness of treatments. It enables the healthcare community to pool resources and knowledge, thereby accelerating advancements in particle therapy technologies and techniques. You can find more information about ASPIRE on this website here: https://www.protontherapy.sahmri.org.au/about-aptcqr/

The Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research is more than a treatment facility; it’s a hub for innovation and research, aimed at expanding the boundaries of cancer treatment options available to Australians and the global community.