7–11 September 2026 | Pretoria–Cambridge
How can software, clinical data and artificial intelligence help strengthen radiotherapy services? This question shaped SAPPHIRE’s second workshop, Software Workflows and AI in Radiotherapy, through a five-day programme of presentations, demonstrations and practical learning.
Building on the accelerator engineering focus of the first workshop in Accra, the programme turned to the digital tools used in radiotherapy practice. Contributions from Steve Biko Academic Hospital, the University of Pretoria, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and other participating institutions linked technical concepts with clinical applications.
The programme covered DICOM data handling, machine learning, image segmentation and the ethical use of AI in radiotherapy. Practical sessions introduced virtual training with VERT, explored inverse treatment planning with matRad, and examined optimisation and patient-specific quality assurance for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT).
Equipment reliability was another central theme. Sessions addressed electronic fault reporting, the use of Redmine to analyse fault logs, and the minimum data needed to capture equipment failures consistently. Presentations on AI-based prediction of linear accelerator faults explored how these data could support future approaches to maintenance and service continuity.
Demonstrations of the STELLA/SAPPHIRE multileaf collimator simulator and the SAPPHIRE RING prototype connected the training programme with ongoing research. Further sessions examined surface-guided patient positioning, organ motion, AI-assisted dose prediction and emerging technologies such as FLASH radiotherapy.
By bringing software workflows, accelerator reliability and clinical practice into the same programme, the workshop supported SAPPHIRE’s wider goal: equipping medical physics teams with the knowledge and tools to develop more reliable and sustainable radiotherapy services.
SAPPHIRE thanks the speakers, facilitators, participants and partner institutions for their contributions to the programme.
