Human HealthWith its experimental facilities, PSI wants to understand the essential processes in living organisms at the molecular level. To this end, new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases are to be developed. In the Visitors' Centre you can see the following exhibits amongst others:
Proton therapy facility for cancer treatment
The Gantry, a facility developed at the Paul Scherrer Institute, makes optimum use of protons in tumour irradiation. This unique technology doesn’t harm the surrounding tissue, as the tumours can be irradiated more accurately than with conventional irradiation methods.
The model demonstrates just how precise the irradiation technology is.
In this art object dyed urea solutions grow into strangely beautiful crystal landscapes. Crystals are also used in research: to gain an understanding of the structure and function of protein molecules which control the behaviour of living cells in many ways, they are converted into crystalline form.
The artist couple, Gerda Steiner and Jörg Lenzlinger inaugurated the 2008 installation. Since then, the crystals surprise visitors with their constantly changing appearance.
Dexterity at the hot cell
PSI experts develop novel substances for instance for cancer treatment in facilities of this kind. They incorporate short-lived radioactive atoms into suitable molecules. These therapeutic molecules are injected into the bloodstream, accumulate in a targeted manner in the tumour cells, and destroy them when the radioactive nucleus disintegrates.
Who can take the spheres and make them into a molecule model as quickly as possible?