Nuclear Science and Technology Development Center (NSTDC) is the research center of National Tsing Hua University (NTHU). Missions of NSTDC are to promote nuclear science education and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to provide technical services to the community. BNCT is the key research project of NSTDC.

The BNCT concept was announced from NTHU in 1992. Our research team has over 25 years of experience in every aspect of basic research in BNCT. The Tsing Hua Open-pool Reactor (THOR) is an important nuclear facility in Taiwan. It has laids solid foundation for the cultivation and research and development of Taiwan’s nuclear energy peaceful use in the past half century. NSTDC decided to use the THOR in biomedicine, and the neutron beam line required for BNCT was constructed.

The THOR with an epithermal neutron flux of 1.0×109n/cm2/sec has been completed renovated for BNCT in 2004. The quality of neutron beams generated by the THOR has been verified by international experts to ensure that it meets the high standards required for BNCT. Currently, THOR is capable of producing epithermal neutron beams that would reach cancer cells residing deeply inside in a human body.

In 2010 NTHU signed a tripartite cooperation agreement with Kyoto University and the Taipei Veterans General Hospital to use BNCT for cancer patients, and the research team has enforced effort on preparing for entering the clinical trial. On August 11, 2010, THOR-BNCT clinical trial was performed for the first time. Clinical trials were carried out by Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Until the late 2016, a total of 25 patients with recurrent head and neck cancers received clinical treatment of BNCT have shown amazing treatment outcomes. THOR-BNCT was first used for the brain tumor treatment in March 2017, and liver cancer will be the next target of THOR-BNCT.

Our team of biologic and pharmaceutic research is actively involved in developing the new boron-containing drugs for liver cancer. The animal experiments on rat and rabbit models show boric acid-mediated BNCT has achieved a very good efficacy. Disrupting tumor cells and tumor blood vessels may act the major action of boric acid-mediated BNCT for treating liver tumor. This study was published in “Anticancer Research” and has gained patent protection in Taiwan and the USA, and provides a direction for the future work of BNCT for liver cancer.

Over the past 25 years, due to the efforts and cooperation of the groups, our BNCT basic and clinical research has accomplished many good results. The ICNCT-18 will be held in Taiwan in 2018 and we sincerely welcome you to join this great event.