Vaudois University Hospital (CHUV), in conjunction with the European laboratory for particle physics (CERN) and Theryq SAS, has signed an agreement to develop equipment for a novel radiotherapy technique known as “electron Flash therapy.” The new device will use very high energy electron (VHEE) radiation to treat cancers resistant to conventional therapy.
Thales SA signed a major partnership with the Curie Institute to use very high-intensity electron FLASH radiotherapy (FLASH-RT) in cancer therapy. Based on its experience in the field of particle accelerators, “we have all the manufacturing facilities and human know-how necessary to ramp research and development for this new technology,” Charles-Antoine Goffin, vice president, microwave & imaging subsystems at Thales, told BioWorld.
Nanobiotix SA has just presented new data from an open-label preclinical study evaluating the action of its nanoparticle-enhanced radiotherapy, NBTXR3, with the triple blockade of PD-1, LAG-3, and TIGIT on mice carrying cancerous cells. PD-1, LAG-3 and TIGIT are three checkpoint inhibitors which regulate the natural killer cells usually targeted in combination therapy in immuno-oncology.
Elekta AB signed a commercial agreement with GE Healthcare Co. Ltd. to expand hospital access to radiotherapy. Marlborough, Mass.-based GE Healthcare said it will combine its precision imaging solutions with Elekta’s radiation therapy portfolio to provide hospitals worldwide with a more comprehensive oncology offering.
A brighter future awaits radiotherapy if Flash and LIGHT live up to their promise. Announcements made last week by Varian Medical Systems and Advanced Oncotherapy plc indicate results should be seen soon. Varian reported that the first human clinical trial of Flash, Fast-01, completed its treatment phase last week at the Cincinnati Children’s/University of Cincinnati Health Proton Therapy Center. Advanced Oncotherapy plc presented results from a modeling study of Linac for Image Guided Hadron Therapy (LIGHT) technology at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 2021 Annual Meeting demonstrating that LIGHT enables both the high, super-quick dose delivery of Flash and good conformality of dose delivery to tumor tissue.
Local tumor conversion of a prodrug to an active agent using clinically relevant radiotherapy may herald a new era in targeted and directed cancer chemotherapy.
A study led by Chinese radiologists at Peking University in Beijing has shown that positron emission tomography imaging of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression is a predictor for the abscopal effect, whereby nonirradiated cancers respond to radiotherapy.
A study led by Chinese radiologists at Peking University in Beijing has shown that positron emission tomography imaging of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression is a predictor for the abscopal effect, whereby nonirradiated cancers respond to radiotherapy.
Vysioneer Inc. has won the FDA’s nod for its Vbrain artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tumor autocontouring software. The company said Vbrain is the first AI device to receive FDA clearance for tumor autocontouring in radiation therapy. Vbrain is a neural network-based AI solution, trained from clinical data.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Varian Medical Systems Inc. is no stranger to machine learning applications. It rolled out its first such software to guide photon-based radiotherapy treatment planning more than five years ago. Now, it’s expanding a similar approach for machine learning-driven patient matching and treatment guidance in proton treatment planning.