MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology
Formation1953 (as Gray Laboratory at Mount Vernon Hospital)
PurposeRadiation biology research
HeadquartersDepartment of Oncology
Location
Director
Professor Amato Giaccia
AffiliationsMedical Research Council (United Kingdom)
Websitewww.oncology.ox.ac.uk/mrc-oiro
Formerly called
  • Gray Cancer Institute
  • Cancer Research Campaign Gray Laboratory
  • British Empire Cancer Campaign Research Unit in Radiobiology

The MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology (formerly the Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology) is an institute dedicated to research on radiobiology and radiotherapy. It is funded by the Medical Research Council and is based at the University of Oxford's Department of Oncology.[1]

History

The institute was founded as the Gray Laboratory at Mount Vernon Hospital by Louis Harold Gray in 1953 [2] as the world's first radiobiological institute.[3] Early research focused on the oxygen effect to improve radio sensitivity of tumours.[4] The institute at Mount Vernon was home to a unique 4 MeV heavy ion Van de Graaff accelerator.[5]

Research on the effects of oxygenation has continued, as well as other projects and collaborations including work on proton accelerators.[6] The institute remained at Mount Vernon Hospital until 2008 when it relocated to Oxford after the Gray Laboratory Cancer Research Trust became a wholly owned subsidiary of the University.[7]

References

  1. ^ "About Us". Department of Oncology, Medical Sciences Division. University of Oxford. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Why Gray?". Radiating Oncology and Biology. University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  3. ^ "About L.H. Gray". LH Gray Memorial Trust. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  4. ^ Rockwell, Sara; Dobrucki, Iwona; Kim, Eugene; Marrison, S.; Vu, Van (1 May 2009). "Hypoxia and Radiation Therapy: Past History, Ongoing Research, and Future Promise". Current Molecular Medicine. 9 (4): 442–458. doi:10.2174/156652409788167087. PMC 2752413. PMID 19519402.
  5. ^ Folkard, Melvyn; Vojnovic, Boris; Prise, Kevin M; Michael, Barry D (April 2002). "The application of charged-particle microbeams in radiobiology". Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms. 188 (1–4): 49–54. Bibcode:2002NIMPB.188...49F. doi:10.1016/S0168-583X(01)01007-2.
  6. ^ "Gray Cancer Institute: past, present, future". MedicalPhysicsWeb. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Gray Cancer institute". Gray Laboratory Cancer Research Trust. 2008. Archived from the original on 3 July 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
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