Feature

Speed of Light - Grants and Researchers

This summer, Speed of Light – The ASTRO Foundation awarded $2.4 million to support 14 scientists launching new research projects. And during this year’s ASTRO Annual Meeting, 11 presentations will feature research supported by ASTRO and its Foundation — work that started, in earlier years, exactly the way this year’s 14 projects are starting now.

Every grant, every presentation and every step forward started because someone dared to think bigger and dig deeper. When you support Speed of Light, you are giving investigators the tools to transform ideas into impact.

Meet the 14 scientists who received a 2026 research grant, and make a gift to support future awards at SpeedofLightFoundation.org.

Speed of Light – The ASTRO Foundation is ASTRO’s reimagined hub for scientific advancement in radiation medicine. By investing in research, fostering innovation, and supporting the next generation of investigators, Speed of Light is driving progress and improving patient care.

See our momentum in action — discover the grant-supported researchers presenting at #ASTRO26:

Saturday, September 26

Functional Radiation Medicine Workshop | 4:25 p.m.

PI: Michelle Iocolano, MD | Presenter: John Plastaras, MD, PhD, FASTRO
Rapid Fire: Emerging Clinical Trials - Arthropathy on AI

PI & Presenter: Sue Yom, MD, PhD, MAS, FASTRO
Rapid Fire: Emerging Clinical Trials – Speed of Light Grant

Monday, September 28

Khashayar Fattah, MD, and team

PQA 04 | 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

PI & Presenter: Khashayar Fattah, MD
2734: Early Ventricular Tachycardia Suppression after Cardiac Radioablation using SABR Suggests Electrical Conduction Remodeling Rather Than Fibrosis: Clinical Timeline Outcomes and Dosimetric Correlates

“Cardiac Radioablation for arrhythmia is prominently among the growing list of indications for RT in non-cancerous conditions; our project attempts to guide the ablative RT prudently to the smallest, most critical target location.”

Harkiran Kooner, PhD

Presidential Science Poster Showcase | 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

PI & Presenter: Harkiran Kooner, PhD
3041: One Year Post-SBRT: Discovering the Effects on CT Airway Structure

“This first-of-its-kind study maps how airways change on CT after SBRT for central lung tumors, offering new insight into airway injury that could directly improve safer treatment planning. Come see how these data may help define the future of thoracic SBRT toxicity prediction!”

PI & Presenter: Baozhou Sun, PhD, MBA
2619: Same-Day Simulation-Free Radiotherapy Using Diagnostic CT: Feasibility and Dosimetric Validation in a Low-Resource Radiation Oncology Setting

Tuesday, September 29

SS 30 | 12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

PI: Ryan Hughes, MD
Presenter: Jacob Johnson, BS
259: Baseline Carotid Artery Calcium Score Is Associated with High-Risk Carotid Ultrasound Findings in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors after Radiation Therapy: Secondary Analysis of a Prospective Study

SS 32 | 12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

PI: Joseph Harms, PhD
Presenter: Roman Vasyltsiv, PhD
270: Scintillator Array In Vivo 3D Surface Dosimetry: Development and Clinical Translation for Photon, Proton and FLASH Radiotherapy

PQA 06 | 2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

PI: Tyler Seibert, MD, PhD
Presenter: Mariluz Rojo Domingo, MS
3362: Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) and Radiotherapy (RT) with Imaging Evaluation Longitudinally (ARIEL): Implications of Neoadjuvant ADT for Focal RT Boost in Prostate Cancer

PI: Rohini Bhatia, MD
Presenter: Kgosi Hughes, BS
3774: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study of Hypofractionated Palliative Radiotherapy (10 Gy x 3) For Advanced Cervical Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa

PQA 07 | 3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

PI: Adam Grippin, MD, PhD
Presenter: Sage Copling, BS
3447: Systemic Immune Activation by mRNA Vaccination Synergizes with Immune Checkpoint Inhibition and Radiotherapy: A Single-Institution Analysis

PI: Adam Grippin, MD, PhD
Presenter: Kylie Morgan, BS
3565: COVID-19 Vaccination Timing Prior to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Initiation and Survival Outcomes in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer