Hampton University and Eastern Virginia Medical School are using a grant to improve cancer treatment.

The schools received a nearly $490,000 grant from the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology's Commonwealth Technology Research Fund.

The grant will be used to develop BioEclipse, which Hampton University calls the first biologically optimized treatment planning system for proton radiotherapy cancer treatment.

The school says proton therapy is recognized as the most precise form of cancer treatment to date because it can target the tumor directly without harming the surrounding healthy tissue.

BioEclipse will help identify the best treatment plan for each patient while taking into account the biological effects of the therapy.