Gerhard Kraft

Gerhard Kraft (29 October 1941 – 18 March 2023) was a German physicist, best known for introducing heavy ion cancer therapy in Europe.

He was the founder and director of the Biophysics Department at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt (Germany). Particle therapy had already been performed in US and Japan using protons, carbon, and other light ions. Gerhard Kraft introduced it in Europe, with two significant innovations: raster scanning and biological treatment planning. Under his direction, 440 patients were treated from 1997 to 2008 at GSI. After a two year fellowship at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (Berkeley, CA, US) Since 1981 he started his work on heavy-ion radiobiology and radiotherapy at GSI, and the treatment room was completed in 1997. 1999 Erwin Schrödinger Award, Helmholtz Association 2000 Otto Hahn Prize of the City of Frankfurt am Main 2009 Ph.D. h.c., University of Giessen 2013 Honorary member of Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG) 2015 Honorary member of (DGMP) 2018–2021 Honorary President of European Radiation Research Society

Publications