The energies reached can be high and are expected to reach tens of MeV. Developments in laser proton acceleration technologies may, in time, become suitable for clinical use in the long term. To contribute to this aim, EPAC will also further the development of laser-proton acceleration techniques.

In the short term however, laser-driven proton beams can be used to further the understanding of the effects of proton beam radiation on tissues, particularly at high dose rates.

Proton beam therapy is a technique that is still undergoing intense research and development. This knowledge is critical for preclinical evaluation of new techniques. The short pulse rates of laser-driven protons will enable studies of fast processes such as ionisations, excitations and generation of free radicals leading to DNA damage.

This is powerful because understanding of how protons interact with cells is incomplete, notably, ‘relative biological effectiveness’ (RBE) or ‘survival rates’ along the proton beam track and particularly in the Spread Out Bragg peak (SOBP) and a lack of understanding of the DNA damage mechanisms. In addition, knowledge of linear energy transfer (LET) it is important to perform ‘preclinical’ evaluation of radiobiological effects of proton beams on cells.