FLASH Radiotherapy: CERN and Theryq Push Ultrafast Cancer Treatment Toward the Clinic
Mar 7th 2026
FLASH uses ultrafast, ultrahigh radiation bursts to kill tumors while sparing healthy tissue, and CERN with French company Theryq are adapting particle accelerator technology to build and test hospital-ready FLASH machines now entering trials.
- FLASH radiotherapy delivers very high radiation doses in bursts under 0.1 seconds and has shown reduced harm to normal tissue in preclinical studies.
- The effect emerged from experiments at Institut Curie in the 1990s and was reported in 2014 with tumor control in mice.
- Researchers have reproduced FLASH benefits across many tissues and animal models and in limited human cases, but the biological mechanism is still unknown.
- CERN is adapting high-gradient linear accelerator technology to produce electron beams capable of reaching deep tumors for FLASH treatments.
- Theryq has developed three platforms: FLASHKNiFE for superficial tumors, FLASHLAB for research, and FLASHDEEP designed to reach up to 20 centimeters in the body.
- Major technical hurdles include accurate dose measurement at ultrahigh rates and making accelerator systems compact and reliable for hospital use.
- Facilities such as PITZ are conducting controlled animal studies to refine beam timing, dose structure, and safety before broad human trials.
- If clinical trials and engineering work succeed, FLASH could cut sessions, reduce side effects, and expand radiotherapy access within roughly a decade.