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About AMIGOpy

AMIGOpy is an open-source medical physics platform designed for research and education in radiotherapy and brachytherapy. It is the successor to the original AMIGO software developed between 2011 and 2015 as part of a Double-PhD project. Initially, AMIGO was created primarily as a research tool for brachytherapy, but over the years, the software evolved to include resources for external beam radiotherapy, including photons and protons.

Despite this growth, the use of the original AMIGO software remained limited to specific research groups and collaborations — mainly due to the lack of proper documentation and several design constraints.

Limitations of the Original AMIGO (MATLAB Version)

The initial AMIGO implementation, developed in MATLAB, provided valuable functionality but suffered from several important limitations:

  • Lack of documentation → made onboarding new users and contributors difficult.
  • Non-modular architecture → upgrades were hard to manage, and many available tools were hidden from the user.
  • MATLAB dependency → although MATLAB offers powerful scientific tools and a user-friendly language, it is not free, limiting access to many potential users.
  • Monte Carlo engine licensing → the software relied heavily on MCNP, which also requires a paid license for each user, further restricting accessibility.

Introducing AMIGOpy

AMIGOpy was created to address these limitations and to significantly expand AMIGO's impact in research and education.

Key advantages of AMIGOpy:

  • Open-source → freely available for research, education, and development.
  • Python-based → built using Python, an accessible and free programming language widely adopted in the scientific community.
  • Extensive documentation → provides comprehensive guides for both users and developers.
  • Modular architecture → designed from the ground up for maintainability, making it easier to integrate new features and workflows.
  • Flexible Monte Carlo integration → can be coupled to numerous MC engines, not limited to MCNP, making the platform far more versatile.

With AMIGOpy, our goal is to increase accessibility, foster collaboration, and accelerate innovation in medical physics research.