The 230 million electron volts superconducting cyclotron for proton therapy currently under development at the China Institute of Atomic Energy will likely become fully commissioned next year for clinical trials, making it the first of its kind in China, according to scientists with the institute.

The superconducting cyclotron is a mainstream core component of proton-based cancer therapy equipment that has increased in presence worldwide.

Compared with conventional radiotherapy, proton beams will only release a large percentage of radiation dose when reaching tumors, which means it will kill the cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact.