The UF Health Proton Therapy Institute treated its first patient on August 14, 2006, becoming the fifth proton therapy center in the U.S. and the first in the Southeast. Established as an academic clinical treatment and research center, the Institute during its first 12 years has rapidly made a significant impact on patient care and proton therapy techniques used to treat cancer.

Pediatric patients have been a major focus since day one. It is now widely recognized that proton therapy is the standard of care for children needing radiation treatment for cancer. Because proton therapy is targeted, less radiation is given to the healthy tissues of children who are still growing and are more susceptible to side effects of radiation. The Institute has the largest pediatric proton therapy program in the world, treating about 25 to 30 children each day.

As a regional resource, the Institute has treated more than 7,700 patients since opening, including 1,600 children. Patients have come from the Jacksonville area, all 50 states and 32 countries for the advanced radiation treatment delivered by the renowned team of cancer experts at the University of Florida.

The Institute is active in clinical research, and 98 percent of patients participate in outcomes studies. This rigorous follow-up has resulted in more than 133 articles published in peer-reviewed medical journals. The evidence points to an important role for proton therapy in treating cancer and confirms it is effective, safe and reduces side effects for many types of cancer.

This year, the Institute is heading up a national, large-scale prostate cancer clinical trial that will compare proton therapy and standard radiation patient outcomes. Later this fall, the facility expansion project will reach a major milestone when the new cyclotron arrives. This addition, when complete, will mean more access to proton therapy for patients across the region for years to come.

The University of Florida received a record $837.6 million in research funding in fiscal year 2018, surpassing the previous record set in fiscal 2016 by nearly 16 percent. Federal government funds accounted for the majority of the increase with additional funding coming from foundations, non-profits, industry and the State of Florida.

Notably, the College of Medicine is the largest recipient of research funding bringing in 42 percent of UF’s total. The UF Health Proton Therapy Institute was among the research programs that received significant new funding in fiscal year 2018. Under the leadership of Medical Director Nancy P. Mendenhall, M.D., the Institute was awarded $11.9 million by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute for a large-scale clinical study on prostate cancer comparing the effectiveness of proton therapy and standard radiation. The project will compare 1,500 patients treated with proton therapy and 1,500 patients treated with standard radiation therapy at 42 treatment centers across the U.S.

“These record-shattering numbers reflect the growing prestige and reputation of the University of Florida as a research powerhouse,” said David Norton, UF’s vice president for research. “Each award represents targeted funding for UF faculty to advance the boundaries of discovery and knowledge in fields ranging from health care to engineering to understanding the fundamental nature of our universe. The record amount of total funding is also testament to the significant investment the state has made in UF over the past decade, which has enabled us to attract, retain and support outstanding research faculty across the institution.”