The University of Maryland School of Medicine is moving to team up with private industry to build a $200 million proton cancer treatment center at its BioPark in West Baltimore.

Slated for completion in 2014, the new therapy center would provide non-invasive, out-patient treatment for a variety of cancers, with a promise of more precise targeting of tumors and fewer side effects, especially for children.

At present, UM officials said, the nearest proton therapy center is in Philadelphia, one of only nine such facilities in the United States.

"This is the next-generation improvement in radiation oncology," said William F. Regine, chairman of the school's Department of Radiation Oncology.

"It allows us the unprecedented ability to deliver a targeted dose of lifesaving radiation therapy to the tumor while minimizing radiation to the healthy tissue. … This technology is a powerful new addition to our tool box for fighting cancer."

• Article by Frank D. Roylance, The Baltimore Sun
• Photo by Kim Hairston, The Baltimore Sun / October 13, 2010