Source: Beijing Huairou  10^th Feb 2026

Just ahead of the Spring Festival, good news came from the Beijing Laser Accelerator Innovation Center in Huairou Science City: the laser proton knife therapy device developed by the center has successfully advanced from a proof-of-principle prototype to an engineering prototype. This major breakthrough, named "Huatuo No.1" by the research team, is accelerating toward clinical application to explore an entirely new solution for tumor treatment.

At the core of the laser proton knife is an ultra-high-power laser system. Researchers focus the laser beam onto a target thinner than a human hair, releasing extreme energy in an instant. Like a highly concentrated "light hammer", it bombards and accelerates proton beams to near the speed of light. These protons act as precise "micro cannonballs"; after being regulated and guided into the human body, they can efficiently destroy tumors while maximally protecting the surrounding healthy tissue.

Entering the center's laser experimental area, researchers are fully focused on testing the domestically developed laser device, the "power heart" of the entire proton knife system. After five years of dedicated research and development based in Huairou, the peak power of the domestic laser device has been significantly increased from 0.2 petawatts to 1 petawatt.

"It is like a car engine, providing the driving force for the target irradiation of the entire system," explained Zhang Hui, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Physics of Peking University. "This system was completely and independently built by our team, with the goal of accelerating the full domestic localization of high-end ultra-intense and ultra-fast lasers."

The intense laser generated by the "engine" interacts with matter in the target chamber, producing high-energy proton beams traveling near the speed of light. These proton beams are then precisely guided to the experimental area of the ion beam delivery and tumor irradiation system.

Wang Kai, a Distinguished Associate Researcher at the School of Physics of Peking University, compared the subsequent process to "precision cooking". "We are collecting and transmitting the proton beam generated in the front stage, and have achieved real-time dosimetry measurement at the terminal. Just like using an electronic scale to precisely control every ingredient when cooking, we ensure that the dosage of each treatment is completely accurate."

In the central control room of the laser plasma accelerator, the core of the device, a large integrated screen monitors all experimental status, equipment operation and parameter indicators in real time. The center has successfully developed an experimental timing trigger system, which acts like an orchestra conductor, ensuring that thousands of components across the entire large-scale device work in coordination with unified rhythm.

After five years of technical breakthroughs, "Huatuo No.1" has achieved the critical leap from a proof-of-principle prototype to an engineering prototype, officially entering a new stage of transformation into medical equipment.

"To transform it into usable medical equipment, the two most critical steps are third-party medical device testing and clinical trials," said Wang Qiang, Assistant to the Director and Deputy Director of the Engineering Office of the Beijing Laser Accelerator Innovation Center. "At present, we have launched the medical device registration testing for the proton knife, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year."

Pre-clinical verification for clinical application is progressing steadily. Lü Jianfeng, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Physics of Peking University, revealed that the team has completed tumor radiotherapy experiments on hundreds of mice using protons and electrons, "and a significant tumor growth inhibition effect has been observed", laying a solid foundation for subsequent research.

"Over the past year, we have completed the commissioning of the laser proton knife in terms of beam stability, energy and controllability," said Yan Xueqing, Professor at the School of Physics of Peking University and Director of the Beijing Laser Accelerator Innovation Center. "Recently, Peking University Third Hospital has expressed its willingness to cooperate, hoping to build a joint laboratory with us and develop this site into the world's first research hospital dedicated to laser proton knife therapy in the future."

This original technology born in Huairou Science City holds multiple groundbreaking significance. "At present, no laser proton knife in the world has entered clinical application, and we are the first team to overcome all core technologies and bottlenecks," Professor Yan said. Compared with traditional proton therapy devices, "Huatuo No.1" has remarkable advantages.

Conventional proton therapy facilities usually cover an area of thousands or even tens of thousands of square meters with prohibitive costs. In contrast, the engineering prototype system in Huairou only requires 500 to 600 square meters, and is expected to be directly deployed in ordinary Grade-A tertiary hospitals in the future, greatly improving treatment accessibility.

More notably, the peak current of the proton beam it generates is thousands to tens of thousands of times higher than that of conventional devices. In the future, it is expected to kill tumor cells more accurately while better protecting the surrounding healthy tissue. It may even stimulate the human immune system to recognize metastatic tumor cells, opening up a brand-new "radiotherapy + immunotherapy" treatment model.

From preliminary basic research and device performance optimization to intensive preparations for medical device testing, the project team will stay on post and work overtime even during the Spring Festival holiday to fully advance the implementation of the project. This original achievement born in Huairou Science City is accelerating toward clinical application, lighting up a new path of hope for cancer patients around the world.