Reinhard W. Schulte, MD, MS

Associate Professor

Education and Certifications

• MS, Physics Diploma, Universität Dortmund, Germany, 1978
• MD, Doctor of Medicine (summa cum laude), Universität zu Köln, Germany, 1986
• Board Certification in Radiology, Hannover, Germany,1992
• ECFMG Certificate, 1989
• US Medical License, Medical Board of California, 2002
• Board Eligibility in Radiation Oncology, American Board of Radiology, 2008

Translational Proton Research

In 1946, Harvard physicist Robert Wilson predicted that protons of sufficient energy (up to 300 MeV) would be used in the future to treat any cancer site in the human body with dose distributions superior to those achievable with photons. In 1979, Nobel laureate and physicist Allan M. Cormack, predicted that protons would also be used for 3D imaging of patients in proton-treatment facilities.  Dr. Wilson's prediction became reality in the 1960s when neurosurgeon Raymond N. Kjellberg started treating patients with pituitary adenomas using the 160 MeV proton Bragg peak at the Harvard Cyclotron laboratory. Other accelerator laboratories around the world followed and several thousand patients had been treated with protons when the first clinical proton treatment facility opened at Loma Linda University Medical Center in 1990. Our research focuses on characterizing therapeutic proton beams with advanced dosimetric techniques (nanodosimetry and track structure imaging) in conjunction with radiobiological studies. The goal of this research is to optimize not only the physical dose but also the biologically effective dose of proton treatment plans. As a spin-off, nanodosimetry can also be utilized to characterize and monitor space radiation. A second focus of our activities has been the development of proton computed tomography, fulfilling Cormack's dream. Proton CT will solve the problem of accurately predicting where proton beams stop in non-uniform human tissues, allowing us to directly stop the beam in front of critical normal structures. Proton CT can also be used directly for image guidance in the treatment room. On the clinical side, we have implemented techniques for proton radiosurgery and stereotactic proton radiation therapy, in particular, for large arteriovenous malformations, which no other treatment option exists. More recently we have performed research and development of focused proton irradiation techniques for creating functional lesions in the CNS and other organs with high-energy proton beams, for which we are developing precision optical tracking techniques and distortion-corrected MRI.

Selected Publications

Proton Computed Tomography

1. R. W. Schulte,  S. N. Penfold,  J. T. Tafas, and  K. E. Schubert, “A maximum likelihood proton path formalism for application in proton computed tomography.” Med. Phys., accepted Aug. 2008.
2. Z. Liang, T. Li, R. Schulte, T. Satogata, D. Williams, and H. Sadrozinski, “Proton Computed Tomography.” In: M. A. Hayat, Ed., Cancer Imaging – Instrumentation and Applications, vol.2, 99-120, Elsevier Academic Press, Burlington, MA, 2007.
3. T. Li, Z. Liang, J. V. Singanallur, T. J. Satogata, D. C. Williams, and R. W. Schulte, "Reconstruction for proton computed tomography by tracing proton trajectories, A Monte Carlo study." Med. Phys. 33, 699-706, 2006. 
4. R.W. Schulte, V. Bashkirov, M.C. Klock, T. Li, A. J. Wroe, I. Evseev,  D. C. Williams, and T. Satogata,  "Density resolution of proton computed tomography". Med. Phys. 32, 1035-46, 2005.
5. R. Schulte, V. Bashkirov, T. Li, Z. Liang, K. Mueller, J. Heimann, L.R. Johnson, B. Keeney, H.F.-W. Sadrozinski, A. Seiden, D. C. Williams, L. Zhang, Z. Li, S. Peggs, T. Satogata, and C. Woody, "Design of a Proton Computed Tomography System for Applications in Proton Radiation Therapy." IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., 51:866-872, 2004.

Nanodosimetry and Radiobiology

1. R. W. Schulte, A. J. Wroe, V. A. Bashkirov, G. Y. Garty, A. Breskin, R. Chechik, S. Shchemelinin, E. Gargioni, B. Grosswendt, and A. B. Rosenfeld, “Nanodosimetry-Based Quality Factors for Radiation Protection in Space”, Zeitschrift fur Medizinische Physik, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 26 July 2008.
2. V. Bashkirov, R. Schulte, A. Breskin. et al. Ion-counting nanodosimeter with particle tracking capabilities. Radiat. Prot. Dosimetry 122:415-419, 2006.
3. G. Garty, R. Schulte, S. Shchemelinin, B. Grosswendt, C. Leloup, G. Assaf, A. Breskin, R. Chechik, and V. Bashkirov, "First attempts at prediction of DNA strand-break yields using nanodosimetric data." Radiat. Prot. Dosimetry 122:451-454, 2006.
4. R. Schulte, V. Bashkirov, S. Shchemelinin, A. Breskin, R. Chechik, G. Garty, A. Wroe, and B. Grosswendt, "Mapping the sensitive volume of an ion-counting nanodosimeter." Journal of Instrumentation 1:1-14, 2006.
5. C. Leloup, G. Garty, G. Assaf, A. Cristovao, A. Breskin, R. Chechik, S. Shchemelinin, T. Paz-Elizur, Z. Livneh, R.W. Schulte, V. Bashkirov, J.R. Milligan, and B. Grosswendt, "Evaluation of lesion clustering in irradiated plasmid DNA." Int J Radiat. Biol. 81:41-54, 2005.

Instrumentation for Functional Proton Radiosurgery

1. F. Shihadeh, R. Schulte, K. Schubert, and P. Chakrapani, "Performance analysis of an optoelectronic localization system for monitoring brain lesioning with proton beams." Conf Proc IEEE Eng. Med. Biol. Soc. 2007:4693-4698, 2007.