Last checked at 27 Sep 2018 07:00
ADVANCED ONCOTHERAPY PLC
("Advanced Oncotherapy" or the "Company")
Technological update
Key technological milestone completed on schedule
LIGHT system now generating proton beams with energies required to treat superficial tumours
Advanced Oncotherapy (AIM: AVO), the developer of a next-generation proton therapy system for cancer treatment, provides an update on the technological development of its LIGHT system.
The Company announces that it has reached a key milestone in the development of its next-generation proton therapy technology, the LIGHT system. The first system under development at the Company's testing facility at CERN, Geneva is now generating a proton beam with sufficient energy required for treating some superficial tumours.
Superficial tumours include ocular tumours, parotid gland tumours, basal cell carcinoma, and some soft tissue sarcomas, to name a few. A specific type of basal cell carcinoma, known as periocular tumours, was modelled for the purpose of establishing the treatment plan based on the data and the proton acceleration reached with the LIGHT system. Periocular tumours are challenging to treat because of their proximity to the eye. Protons may offer an advantage for these patients by largely sparing the eyes and eye lenses from radiation dose.
The resulting plan is available on the website of the company and ‑ based on the proton acceleration generated ‑ shows that:
· The current LIGHT system comfortably covers the simulated clinical case, as well as some marginally deeper tumours
· The healthy tissue ‑ such as the eye and the lens ‑ is dramatically spared from radiation dose with a steep decrease of the radiation levels directly next to the tumour site
· The lens dose is well controlled and the radiation dose around the optic nerve is near zero
The Treatment Planning Software ("TPS") used in the LIGHT system has been developed by AVO's partner, RaySearch AB and will be further tailored to include LIGHT system's many advanced features for AVO's proprietary use.
The LIGHT system is designed to elicit significant advantages over existing proton therapy technology, such as a higher beam precision and targeting which results in a more conformal dose and greater adjustability at source. Furthermore, the accelerator varies the beam energy actively and therefore significantly reduces undesired secondary radiation seen in traditional proton therapy systems. This ‑ together with the modular design of the LIGHT system ‑ result in thinner radiation shielding next to the accelerator and a smaller foot-print. This makes the LIGHT systems easier and cheaper to operate and install in city-centre locations as compared to systems currently on the market. Taken altogether, these features make the LIGHT system the ideal tool for making proton therapy systems more widely available, with a technology expected to be capable of providing improved outcomes and reduced treatment related side effects.
Having reached this milestone on schedule the development team are now focussed on the relatively low-execution risk activity of adding further accelerating modules with the objective of treating all indications suitable for proton therapy. A further technical update will be provided in the next few days.
Commenting, Nicolas Sérandour, CEO of Advanced Oncotherapy, said: "We are delighted to have achieved this key milestone in the development of our first LIGHT system. I am also very proud of our team and thankful for their dedication in achieving this milestone. This announcement marks the shift from a complex ‑ albeit well-proven ‑ scientific and physics reality into a medical application with tangible and direct implications for patients. This very important step supports the confidence we have in delivering our plan and being in a position to offer a system that delivers a better outcome for patients whilst generating more value for the operators."
The case study is available on the Company's website: www.avoplc.com.
| Advanced Oncotherapy Plc | www.avoplc.com |
| Dr. Michael Sinclair, Executive Chairman | Tel: +44 20 3617 8728 |
| Nicolas Serandour, CEO |
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| Stockdale Securities (Nomad & Joint Broker) |
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| Antonio Bossi / Edward Thomas | Tel: +44 20 7601 6100 |
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| Stifel Nicolaus Europe (Joint Broker) |
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| Jonathan Senior / Ben Maddison | Tel: +44 20 7710 7600 |
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| Walbrook PR (Financial PR & IR) | Tel: +44 20 7933 8780 or avo@walbrookpr.com |
| Paul McManus / Anna Dunphy | Mob: +44 7980 541 893 / Mob: +44 7876 741 001 |
About Advanced Oncotherapy Plc www.avoplc.com
Advanced Oncotherapy is a provider of particle therapy in the treatment of cancer, which harnesses the very best in modern technology. Advanced Oncotherapy's R&D team, ADAM, in Geneva, focuses on the development of a proprietary proton accelerator ‑ LIGHT (Linac Image Guided Hadron Technology). LIGHT accelerates protons to the energy levels achieved in legacy machines but in a compact and truly modular unit, offering significant cost advantages. LIGHT also delivers proton beams in a way that facilitates greater precision and electronic control, which are not achievable with currently available alternative technologies.
Advanced Oncotherapy will offer healthcare providers affordable systems that will enable them to treat cancer with an innovative technology, offering better health outcomes and lower treatment related side effects.
Advanced Oncotherapy continually monitors the market for any emerging improvements in delivering proton or particle therapy and actively seeks working relationships with providers of these innovative technologies. Through these relationships, the Company will remain the prime provider of cutting edge, cost-effective systems for particle therapy.