TomoTherapy to participate in nearly $50M proton therapy venture

TomoTherapy is participating in a new venture, Compact Particle Acceleration Corporation (CPAC), to develop a compact proton therapy system for the treatment of cancer. The system will feature a dielectric-wall accelerator (DWA).

Investors in CPAC will include TomoTherapy, private investors and potential customers.

A total investment of approximately $45 million is anticipated to be completed in three phases, which are linked to technological milestones, according to the Madison, Wis.-based TomoTherapy.

CPAC conducted the initial closing of Phase I of the investment, and anticipates completing Phase I with one or more additional closings over the next several months, the company said.

The DWA technology, which resulted from defense-related research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has the potential to bring fixed and rotational intensity-modulated proton therapy to treat cancer into the medical mainstream, the company said.

DWA is distinct from current particle accelerator technology in that energies of 200 MeV are expected to be achieved within a relatively compact structure that fits in a standard therapy treatment room as compared to other technologies that require significantly more space and weight-bearing capacity (up to several hundred tons), TomoTherapy said.

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