Tucked away in an unassuming office complex in Mountain View, California, an innovative team of scientists and engineers works to solve urgent clinical problems confronting doctors and treatment providers—and to develop versatile technologies that advance the quality of healthcare.

These researchers are the heart of the Ginzton Technology Center (GTC), Varian Medical Systems’ central research and development organization and business incubator. GTC researchers work with others in Varian’s marketing and engineering departments to turn breakthrough technologies into practical, commercially viable products.

GTC research initiatives contributing to Varian’s growth in 2005 include digital X-ray image detectors, the Real-Time Position Management (RPM™) respiratory gating system, and cone-beam computed tomography (CT) imaging.

Digital X-Ray Image Detectors. Varian has become a volume manufacturer of X-ray image detectors (for more information, click on “Digital X-Ray Detectors” article link at left). This year, the GTC worked to improve performance and manufacturability of the imaging plates. Varian’s digital X-ray image detectors generate ultra-high quality, filmless X-rays such as the diagnostic image shown here, which was generated at Osaka City University Hospital in Japan.

The RPM Respiratory Gating System. By synchronizing imaging and radiotherapy treatments with a patient’s natural breathing cycle, Varian’s RPM respiratory gating system has enabled life-changing results. For more information, click on “Respiratory Gating” article link at left.

Cone-Beam CT Imaging. During 2005, the first cone-beam CT images from Varian’s On-Board Imager™ devices enabled treatment centers around the world to acquire high-quality images so quickly that they could help clinicians adjust a patient’s position for image-guided radiation therapy dynamically, during a standard treatment time slot. Varian’s cone-beam CT capabilities are the result of synergies among major research initiatives at the GTC, culminating from advances in X-ray imagers, digital image reconstruction algorithms and software, and other vital areas of expertise. This cone-beam CT image shows the prostate area with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) dose distributions superimposed.