Synchrotron beamline gets $6M in funding

Saskatoon, SK – The University of Saskatchewan has received more than $6.2 million from the provincial government for the biomedical imaging and therapy beamline (BMIT) at the Canadian Light Source synchrotron. The funding matches federal funding provided by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

“This beamline, the most ambitious at the Canadian Light Source to date, will be a key part of our unique and powerful life sciences research cluster centred on the University of Saskatchewan,” says Peter MacKinnon, the university’s president.

BMIT is a revolutionary new tool for the imaging, study and treatment of disease. When completed in 2008, it will be the first of its kind in North America and one of three leading-edge synchrotron biomedical facilities in the world.

It will use synchrotron X-rays to produce images of the body’s tissues with much greater clarity than any other method, and allow the precise delivery of high-energy X-rays for the treatment of cancer. As a research tool, it will help advance the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, circulatory and respiratory disease, neurological and behavioural diseases, reproductive dysfunction, musculo-skeletal disease, and dental conditions. BMIT’s ability to conduct therapies on living subjects, including plants and animals, positions the facility as a world leader in veterinary and medical imaging.