- Well, I remember hearing you make a presentation about the proton beam.

Now, at one time it was, and maybe it still is, it is the latest version state-of-the-art proton beam.

Is it still or have they installed another one somewhere?

- It is very much state-of-the-art, absolutely.

It's made by the premier company in the field, Varian/Siemens, and that unit really is superb.

Because of the complexity of the machine and the things required to keep it in top shape and all the materials, the company decided to have 10 in the Americas, 10 in Europe, 10 in Asia.

And so we were very fortunate to get one of those allocated to us.

- And as I recall, you explained it that the proton beam, radiation can destroy on the way in to where it needs to go fix things, but the proton beam doesn't destroy anything that's in front of the tumor or whatever it is.

Is that correct?

It just knows exactly how to get to the center of whatever.

- Our proton unit treats spot by spot.

So if you can think of a small P area being treated and then it moves to the next small P area.

And you might treat 3,000 spots in the course of a treatment, which can take virtually no time at all.

- [Christine] Really?

- Yeah, because we're in a different dimension of time and space.

But protons, unlike x-rays that come in and start giving up all their energy right away, they come in, give a little energy up on the way in, and then when they slow down, they stop and that's when they give up their energy in the so-called bragged peak effect that's taught in school.