research profile
Dr. James Sohn’s Research
My research is dedicated to advancing accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) as the University of Wisconsin–Madison prepares to establish the first clinical BNCT facility in the United States. As a medical physicist, I focus on the physics foundations required to translate this modality safely and reproducibly into the clinic.
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Advancing accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)
My work spans three connected areas. First, I characterize the neutron source and beam-
shaping assembly, studying target behavior and the moderator, reflector, and filter
configurations that produce clinically usable epithermal neutron beam. Second, I develop
comprehensive dose calculation for BNCT, accounting for the multiple dose components that
arise from the boron, nitrogen, hydrogen, and gamma interactions, and for the biological
weighting that links physical dose to cellular effect. Third, I build treatment planning and
optimization methods that incorporate spatial boron distribution and organ-at-risk constraints,
so that dose reporting becomes consistent and comparable across centers. Together, these
efforts aim to make accelerator-based BNCT measurable, reproducible, and ready for rigorous
clinical evaluation.
