Proteus®ONE solution will complement the IBA Proteus®PLUS system already in operation
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 3 March 2021 - IBA (Ion Beam Applications SA), the world’s leading provider of proton therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer, announces that it has received the down payment from National Cancer Center Korea (NCCK) in relation to the Proteus®ONE* contract announced at the time of IBA’s 2020 Trading Update in January. NCCK is already an IBA customer, having purchased a three-room Proteus®PLUS* solution, which has been in operation since 2007.
The new contract with NCCK is for a Proteus®ONE system, which is based on latest-generation of Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS) and Cone Beam CT. The unique open gantry design of the Proteus®ONE system provides easy access to patients and simple positioning for vertex treatments. IBA and NCCK will collaborate closely to explore new treatment techniques, such as Flash Therapy**, with experimental set-ups in both Proteus®ONE and Proteus®PLUS.
Over the past 14 years, NCCK has built a strong expertise treating patients with the IBA Proteus®PLUS proton therapy solution, equipped with two gantry rooms and one fixed beam room. Throughout the close collaboration with NCCK, IBA has demonstrated its commitment to keeping its Proteus systems to the highest performance standards by updating and upgrading the Proteus®PLUS system with PBS, Cone Beam CT, remote positioning and gantry rolling floors.
Olivier Legrain, Chief Executive Officer of IBA, commented: “NCC Korea was an early pioneer in proton therapy and we are pleased that they have chosen IBA again to expand their activities by adding our compact Proteus®ONE solution to their existing facility. This latest contract highlights the significant progress that we continue to make in Asia, a region which we have identified as a high growth market for IBA. We look forward to continuing our long-term collaboration with NCCK as we work together to advance the use of proton therapy in the fight against cancer.”
Dr. Hong Gwan, Seo, President of NCCK, added: “The commitment, professional support and responsiveness that IBA has demonstrated throughout our 14 years of collaboration has resulted in the successful treatment of many patients with proton therapy. For us, the Proteus®ONE is the solution of choice as it can fit in our existing hospital compound. In addition, the open gantry is key to optimizing patient throughput by allowing easy access and fast positioning of the patient by our medical teams. We are pleased to be able to expand our clinical service with the addition of the Proteus®ONE system which will enable even more patients to benefit from cutting-edge proton therapy and enable us to access new technologies such as Arc** and Flash therapy.”
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About IBA
IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.) is a global medical technology company focused on bringing integrated and innovative solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The company is the worldwide technology leader in the field of proton therapy, considered to be the most advanced form of radiation therapy available today. IBA’s proton therapy solutions are flexible and adaptable, allowing customers to choose from universal full-scale proton therapy centers as well as compact, single room solutions. In addition, IBA also has a radiation dosimetry business and develops particle accelerators for the medical world and industry. Headquartered in Belgium and employing about 1,500 people worldwide, IBA has installed systems across the world.
IBA is listed on the pan-European stock exchange NYSE EURONEXT (IBA: Reuters IBAB.BR and Bloomberg IBAB.BB).
More information can be found at: www.iba-worldwide.com
* Proteus®PLUS and Proteus®ONE are the brand name of Proteus®235
** Arc Therapy and Flash Therapy are currently under research and development phase and will be available for sale when regulatory clearance is received.
About the National Cancer Center Korea
Korea’s National Cancer Center (NCCK) was established in 2000. It is funded by the Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare and strives to improve national health and welfare by reducing the incidence and mortality of cancer through research, patient care, education and training, and support for national cancer control programs. The National Cancer Center performs 9,022 operations and 8,247 proton therapy treatments per year and publishes about 477 articles annually on cancer in journals indexed in the Science Citation Index.