Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung

The GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt operates a worldwide leading accelerator facility for research purposes. The best-known results are the discovery of six new chemical elements and the development of a new type of tumor therapy using ion beams. It is the only facility that allows the acceleration of ions – ions are charged atoms – of all chemical elements occurring on Earth. The behavior of cells when irradiated by ions is a topic the scientists of the GSI biophysics group deal with.