# Improving allocation of scarce medical physics resources through a novel, comprehensive quality assurance device.

> **NIH NIH R44** · WILD DOG PHYSICS, LLC · 2024 · $1,063,155

## Abstract

Healthcare disparities in the US result in large segments of the population without access to radiation
therapy (RT). This manifests itself in Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia, wherein the impact is exacerbated by
the high incidence of smoking-related cancers. RT is an effective component of the treatment strategy for
these patients. Advanced techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided RT
(IGRT), stereotactic body RT (SBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) improve outcomes and are delivered
using medical linear accelerators (i.e., ‘linacs”). SBRT is especially appealing in these settings, given that the
precise treatments are delivered in 1-5 daily treatment fractions, as opposed to the 20-40 fractions required for
conventional techniques. Providing SBRT in rural settings can improve access by administering these precise,
abbreviated treatments to patients who have difficulty traveling to large, regional medical centers.
 The quality assurance (QA) that medical physicists provide is critical for safe treatments, yet there is a
shortage of qualified medical physicists (QMPs), both in the US and globally. At the same time, more centers
are introducing modern techniques that are more precise but intrinsically have more risk, due the high doses
and geometric precision required. There is widespread noncompliance with industry standard QA protocols in
the US and internationally. Existing QA devices have not evolved sufficiently to provide the precision, versatility
and efficiency that is needed for high precision RT. Given these exacerbated safety risks, the market needs a
paradigm shift in how QA is performed in modern RT.
 Wild Dog Physics (WDP) proposes to design and test a new-generation QA device, that addresses these
unmet medical needs. We have trademarked this device the RetrieverTM. When complete, it will be more
precise, efficient, and comprehensive than any QA solution currently on the market. The proposed project
seeks to develop a clinical prototype to be tested in the Radiation Therapy clinic at the University of Kentucky,
as well as partner organizations located in rural, underserved areas.
 Having proven feasibility in our feasibility study, we seek to advance this innovation to commercial
viability in Phase 2 through three specific aims: 1) hardware refinement, to allow measurement of machine
performance metrics to within 0.5 mm and 1% relative does; 2) software development to allow real-time data
analysis, real-time compliance assessment and analytical tools that can monitor long-term trends, abrupt shifts,
and inter-machine and inter-institutional comparisons and; 3) clinical testing to validate the sensitivity and
specificity of the Retriever to shifts in machine characteristics. We will work with key academic and clinical
partners in the design and testing phases, including Qualified Medical Physicists (QMPs) serving in sparsely
populated, low resource settings in the US. When successful, this im...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11007744
- **Project number:** 1R44CA295373-01
- **Recipient organization:** WILD DOG PHYSICS, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Janelle Arlene Molloy
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,063,155
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11007744

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11007744, Improving allocation of scarce medical physics resources through a novel, comprehensive quality assurance device. (1R44CA295373-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11007744. Licensed CC0.

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