DoseRAD2026 challenge: Real-time Photon and Proton Dose Calculation on CT and MRI

Start Date: Mar 15th, 2026 00:00

End Date: Jul 31st, 2026 00:00

URL: https://doserad2026.grand-challenge.org/

Location: Online

DoseRAD2026 challenge: Real-time Photon and Proton Dose Calculation on CT and MRI

DoseRAD2026 aims to benchmark state-of-the-art methods for fast and accurate radiation dose calculation, for both photon and proton radiotherapy, using either computed tomography (CT) or MRI as input.

For each case, participating algorithms will receive:

The required output is a beam-specific 3D radiation dose distribution.

The challenge consists of four tasks reflecting current and emerging radiotherapy technologies:

  1. Photon dose calculation on CT
    Relevant for intensity-modulated photon therapy using volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), the standard treatment modality for the majority of patients.

  2. Photon dose calculation on MRI
    Supporting MRI-guided radiotherapy systems (MRI-linacs), which enable online adaptive treatment based on high soft-tissue contrast imaging.

  3. Proton dose calculation on CT
    Required for high-precision proton therapy planning, where accurate modeling of particle transport is essential due to the sharp distal fall-off of proton beams.

  4. Proton dose calculation on MRI
    Supporting MRI-only proton therapy workflows and future developments in MRI-guided proton therapy.

Outcome:

DoseRAD2026 aims to provide a unified benchmarking platform for real-time photon and proton dose calculation on CT and MRI images.

By systematically comparing fast computational methods against high-accuracy Monte Carlo simulations, the challenge aims to identify approaches capable of enabling:

Advancing fast and accurate 3D dose calculation is a key step toward more precise, adaptive, and patient-specific radiotherapy.

 

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