Accelerator

In the summer of 1942, the United States government launched a top-secret project, The Manhattan Project, with the sole aim of developing the world’s first atomic bomb. The stakes were high, and the pressure was on this team of scientists to help make the bomb a reality. One of those scientists, Dr Robert Wilson, became increasingly distraught with the idea of using this powerful weapon on the world. As a result, after the war, he vowed to find a peaceful use for this nuclear technology. In 1946, he wrote the seminal paper on what is now called Proton Therapy. His paper titled “Radiological Use of Fast Protons” outlined how fast proton beams could be used to treat cancer. 

This documentary film will take us on a journey, alongside history, to show us how this life saving treatment was developed and is being used to saves lives. The film is filled with expert interviews, compelling historical footage and a story about a man and a technology that both destroyed and saves lives.  Out of such destruction comes a powerful treatment for cancer.