Ozgur Ates, PhD, DABR

Overview

As cancer evolves, so should treatment. In adaptive radiation therapy, treatment is continually adjusted in response to changes in cancer and how it presents in the body. Taking an adaptive approach to radiation therapy requires treatment centers to be at the forefront of several radiation therapy techniques. My research assesses aspects of adaptive radiation therapy to ensure St. Jude continues to offer innovative therapies for patients receiving treatment for childhood cancer.

Ates Research Summary

In adaptive radiation therapy approaches, proper treatment planning, image and surface guidance, motion management and response assessments are all vital to ensuring an optimal radiation dosage. My research explores topics in surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT), optimization of quality assurance measures to ensure accurate dose and system performance as well motion management techniques to overcome movement-related challenges in treatment planning.

As my research moves forward, I plan to evaluate the efficacy of weekly adaptive planning to determine the relationship between anatomic changes seen on cone beam CT (CBCT) and impact on quality of the initial treatment plan. The goal is to determine how much anatomical change is clinically acceptable so we can develop guidelines for frequency of on-therapy imaging and replanning and parameters of uncertainty based on predicted volatility of disease. This effort is led in collaboration with members in the Departments of Radiation Oncology, Biostatistics, and clinical research associates.

My work will also focus on the development of and recruitment for prospective clinical trials focused on solid tumors with a goal of implementing weekly replanning for specific disease sites. Through systematic replanning, our hope is to be able to adapt to significant anatomical variations to optimize safe and effective treatment for children with these types of tumors. The core of all my research is to evaluate and adapt state-of-the-art radiation treatment approaches to ensure all patients treated at St. Jude receive optimal care.

Selected Publications

Performance analysis and knowledge-based quality assurance of critical organ auto-segmentation for pediatric craniospinal irradiation

Hanna et al. Sci Rep, 2024

Evaluating the impact of bowel gas variations for Wilms’ tumor in pediatric proton therapy

Ates et al. Cancers (Basel), 2024

Novel monthly quality assurance regimen and 5-year analysis using a proton metrology system

Ates et al. Int J Part Ther, 2023

Interplay effect of splenic motion for total lymphoid irradiation in pediatric proton therapy

Ates et al. Cancers (Basel), 2023

Monitoring of interfractional proton range verification and dosimetric impact based on daily CBCT for pediatric patients with pelvic tumors

Ates et al. Cancers (Basel), 2023

A hybrid method of correcting CBCT for proton range estimation with deep learning and deformable image registration

Uh et al. Phys Med Biol, 2023

Development of a log file analysis tool for proton patient QA, system performance tracking, and delivered dose reconstruction

Ates et al. J Appl Clin Med Phys, 2023

Design of a novel 5-camera surface guidance system with multiple imaging isocenters

Ates et al. J Appl Clin Med Phys, 2022

See all publications from Dr. Ates

About Ozgur Ates

Dr. Ozgur Ates has extensive experience in high-energy particle physics having engaged in research at several renowned particle accelerator facilities across the globe, such as the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory, the MIT-BATES Linear Accelerator Center, the German Electron Synchrotron, and the Paul Scherrer Institute. Dr. Ates completed training at the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute and joined St. Jude in 2016, after which he gained his certificate as a diplomate in medical physics from the American Board of Radiology. In his role as assistant faculty member, Dr. Ates pursues a clinician-scientist track, splitting his time between clinical efforts and research.

Faculty bio