Radiobiology HadrOntherapy and DOSimetry: developments and Innovation M/F

Desired Profile

Holder of a doctorate or equivalent diploma or proof of scientific qualifications and work deemed equivalent by the competent body of the institution. There are no age or nationality requirements for application. All CNRS jobs are accessible to people with disabilities, benefiting from test adjustments made necessary by the nature of the disability.

Establishment strategy

The recruitment of researchers heavily involved in the development of radiotherapy, medical imaging, and radiobiology within the Nuclear & Particle Institute is a major challenge for the CNRS and academic research. This is particularly evident in the health roadmap, which stipulates that the CNRS wishes to leverage its ability to mobilize multi- and interdisciplinarities to position itself as a central player in order to meet all the challenges of a comprehensive approach to health, from fundamental research to innovation. It recalls that the creation of the Health Programming Agency requires all health stakeholders to organize themselves around a research strategy that allows each to contribute strengths and skills to health issues and structural developments, and thus participate in this national construction.

This project is fully in line with this strategy by developing an activity around innovative radiotherapies, in a comprehensive, theranostic approach, with an emphasis on hadrontherapy in the broad sense and vectorized internal radiotherapies in particular. Its aim is to promote the scientific and technical, instrumental and digital know-how and skills of CNRS Nuclear & Particles and strong collaborations with CNRS Biology. While these collaborations exist throughout the country, they are particularly strong in the Normandy region, which itself provides significant support in these areas. The CPJs are therefore a remarkable opportunity for CNRS Nuclear & Particles and CNRS Biology to recruit, based on their national prospectives, executives dedicated to the development of these interdisciplinary themes in which the institutes’ know-how in innovative radiotherapies and radiobiology are strongly established.

Host laboratory strategy

Medical applications are a core activity of LPC-Caen, focusing on external beam radiotherapy using photon beams, proton therapy, and hadron therapy. The AMI team at LPC-Caen has recognized expertise in dosimetry, metrology, calculations for treatment optimization, and simulation tools. These skills translate into the development of beam monitors for real-time control of the delivered dose and their evolution to meet the challenges of dose measurement in extreme conditions, such as flash mode, where technical constraints are particularly demanding.

For its part, ISTCT is studying the benefits of hadrons in combination with other therapies for treating radioresistant tumors. This project is part of the ARCHADE scientific program and the recent opening of a Hadrontherapy Research Center (CYCLHAD) in Caen. The junior professor will strengthen a strong collaboration and Caen’s visibility in this area.

International Strategy

With the presence of GANIL (ion beams from 1 to 100 MeV/u and radioelements for vectorized internal alpha therapy), Cyclhad (Proteus-One for proton therapy), the François Baclesse Center (electrons/photons, all radiotherapy techniques), the Caen site offers one of the widest ranges of beam types, energies and flow rates in the world. This environment will further expand with the start-up in 2026 of the C400, a clinical machine for proton, helium, carbon and oxygen hadrontherapy.

The junior professor will be responsible for leading the collaboration between physicists, biologists and radiotherapist oncologists. He will develop, in partnership with the various entities mentioned above and the LPC-Caen, the lines, dosimeters, beam monitors and methodologies essential to the activities of the different platforms. He will be supported in his activities by the technical teams of the LPC-Caen. In collaboration with biologists, he will be in charge of developing a joint photon-hadrontherapy model integrating the dose rate (conventional to Flash) and the spatial extension of the beams (scattered and/or pencil-beams and/or micro-beams).

This junior professor position is part of a project aimed at structuring and strengthening the instrumental developments carried out at the LPCC in collaboration with the ISTCT team of CYCERON, the CIMAP and the major instruments of the Caen metropolitan area, in particular GANIL and CYCLHAD. This network of skills also extends to practitioners at the François Baclesse Cancer Center and the Caen University Hospital (radiotherapy and nuclear medicine), with the aim of developing innovative radiotherapies. It is part of a dynamic aimed at developing leadership in the field, well anchored in a coherent and multi-disciplinary local environment, enabling excellence to be achieved on an international scale.

National Directory of Research Structures (RNSR) of the host laboratory

Laboratory of Corpuscular Physics (LPC-Caen) – 199612324T
Imaging and Therapeutic Strategies for Cancers and Brain Tissues (ISTCT) – 201722484V

Summary of the scientific project

The project is part of the development of innovative radiotherapies, in particular through that of a joint photon-hadrontherapy model integrating the dose rate (conventional to Flash) and the spatial extension of the beams (diffused vs pencil-beams vs µbeams). This highly interdisciplinary project between physicists, biologists and radiotherapist oncologists will strengthen the instrumental developments carried out at the LPCC in collaboration with the ISTCT unit of CYCERON for their biological evaluations, the CIMAP and the large instruments, in particular the GANIL and CYCLHAD: optimization of irradiation lines, dosimeters, beam monitors and methodologies essential to the activities of the different platforms. It is part of the context of the start-up in 2027 of the C400, a clinical proton and hadron (He, C, O) hadrontherapy machine, in which the recruited person will play a central role, and of the strategic development of vectorized internal radiotherapy.

Summary of the teaching project

The University of Caen Normandy is the host of the international ERASMUS Nuclear Physics master’s degree, which has been reinforced by a EUR (graduate school) in the Normandy region and by the ExcellenceS/CaeSAR and CMA/3NC projects, for which the university was a winner as part of France 2030. An Applications for therapy option exists in M2 and a complete radiation protection course was created in 2022, co-accredited with the INSTN. The University of Caen Normandy specializes in radiation protection and is CEFRI certified for training competent individuals in radiation protection. It awards a professional bachelor’s degree in the field. The junior professor will therefore be able to contribute to the specific teaching of all these training courses, the supervision of trainees and will be able to include his or her practice in the ongoing development of a technology hall which will house the cutting-edge equipment funded by the AMI/3NC project. He or she will work in a favorable, modern and evolving environment.

Financial Environment

• Total financed (including ANR package): €200k
• Project total: €0k

Scientific dissemination

The dissemination of the results will involve world-class scientific advances, which can be characterized by productions of all types: publications, software, patents, books, etc. In addition, the project will implement communication towards various targets such as scientific communities, media, decision-makers, the general public, schools, etc., with an adapted schedule. Specific tools may be developed such as websites, newsletters or even meetings, international symposia, summer schools and conferences.

Open science

The CNRS is developing a strong policy in favor of open science. Open science consists of making research results “as accessible as possible and closed as necessary.” As such, the CNRS aims to make 100% of the texts of publications resulting from the work of its units accessible to all, notably through deposit in HAL. The data produced must also be made available and reusable, unless specifically restricted. Furthermore, the guiding principles of individual evaluation are being revised in accordance with the DORA declaration, making them more qualitative and taking into account all facets of the research profession.

Science and Society

The science-society relationship is now recognized as an integral part of scientific activity. The project will develop this dimension in synergy with all partners. The resulting research will contribute to informing public decision-making. Citizen science initiatives may be initiated with stakeholders from the project’s socioeconomic and cultural ecosystem.

Indicators

The activity will be evaluated in particular on the basis of scientific production (publications, software, patents, books, etc.), on institutional and private partnerships formalized by contracts, on international influence, on the promotion of work towards multidisciplinary scientific communities, on innovation and its transfer to society and on scientific dissemination aimed at non-specialist audiences.

How to organize the hearings

Only candidates selected on file by the selection committee will be invited to the auditions.