A newly developed prototype at FRM II enables complex microbeam therapy for the first time, allowing it to be performed at a distance of only one and a half meters. Until now, this new form of radiation therapy, which enables better tumor control and fewer side effects than conventional methods, could only be performed using giant particle accelerators and was therefore not a realistic option for clinical use. The line-focus X-ray tube, the world’s first prototype of which was built at FRM II, could bring micro-radiation therapy into clinical application for the first time.

Prof. Dr. Winfried Petry, long-standing Scientific Director of the FRM II and at the MLZ, has been the new spokesperson for the Senior Excellence Faculty of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) since 1 December 2025.

An important step has been taken in the conversion of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Research Neutron Source (FRM II) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) to low-enriched nuclear fuel: two fuel plates made of a monolithic uranium-molybdenum alloy have been successfully irradiated. This marks the first time a manufacturing process for new fuels with low-enriched uranium has been tested under realistic irradiation conditions.