BOSTON & LJUBLJANA, Slovenia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Neutron Therapeutics, a targeted radiation therapy company developing a comprehensive solution for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), and Cosylab, the world's leading provider of control systems for the planet's most complex machines, today announced that they have reached their second joint milestone in the clinical commissioning of Neutron Therapeutics' nuBeam® BNCT System, utilizing Cosylab's OncologyOne software, at Helsinki University Hospital – implementation of a complete treatment workflow on a patient model.
BNCT is a targeted radiation cancer therapy in which neutron beams interact with a boron-bearing compound, taken up selectively by tumors, to create DNA-damaging alpha particles within the tumor cells, sparing neighboring, healthy tissue. BNCT has the potential to deliver highly effective, cell-localized radiation therapy to treat tumors with minimal impact on the patient's quality of life compared to other available treatment options, such as radiation, chemotherapy or biological treatment modalities.
Neutron Therapeutics, Inc. and the Helsinki University Hospital are collaborating to launch the first European hospital-based BNCT facility. Cosylab is a proven partner with over two decades of experience solving complex software and integration challenges in radiation therapy.
Johanna Mattson, Senior Medical Director at the Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, commented on the recent milestone: “We are extremely happy to see Neutron Therapeutics and Cosylab reach this major joint milestone in the commissioning of the nuBeam® BNCT system at HUS. Our clinicians eagerly anticipate the opportunity to initiate the first clinical trial in Europe using an in-hospital, accelerator-based neutron beam developed for this purpose. We are excited to once again be able to offer BNCT treatment to patients who have had no other options since the shutdown of the FiR-1 reactor in 2015.”
Neutron Therapeutics' nuBeam® is a compact accelerator-based, high-throughput neutron source suitable for the clinical setting. nuBeam® replaces legacy nuclear reactors and has the highest neutron flux of all currently available BNCT systems. It is also the only device producing an IAEA-compliant BNCT beam for the effective and safe clinical use of neutrons. During the commissioning process, the Helsinki nuBeam® device has demonstrated both robustness and reliable operation, validating Neutron Therapeutics’ technology as the best choice for high-throughput BNCT clinics with stringent safety requirements.
“To achieve our goal of starting clinical trials at Helsinki University Hospital, our first nuBeam® installation in Europe, in 2023, we needed to demonstrate that the nuBeam® system is highly reliable in the clinical setting and offers a fully-featured and streamlined patient workflow for BNCT. We have succeeded in this due to the deep expertise and capabilities of our close partner Cosylab, who enabled rapid progress on our project, on time and within budget. Neutron Therapeutics is now in a position to maximize the potential of BNCT and to begin delivering its benefits to cancer patients," said Dr. Elizabeth Reczek, CEO of Neutron Therapeutics.
The first implementation of a complete treatment workflow at the Helsinki University Hospital was achieved using Cosylab's OncologyOne software, the only solution on the market that covers all the needs of a radiation therapy device. OncologyOne brings to the nuBeam® system a software solution for radiation therapy that is much more readily upgradable and integrable than custom-built software, while guaranteeing the shortest time-to-clinical-use.
"This second joint clinical commissioning milestone at Helsinki University Hospital was achieved using Cosylab's OncologyOne, the medical software product suite already proven in other forefront radiation therapy modalities such as proton therapy. It is developed from the ground up to ensure our customers can transfer their radiation therapy innovations as working solutions to the clinic as quickly as possible. We are pleased that we were, once again, able to help Neutron Therapeutics meet their tight schedule," emphasized Dr. Mark Pleško, CEO of Cosylab.
Finland has been a European hotspot of BNCT research and clinical trials since 1992. With the ongoing clinical verification and validation testing of the nuBeam® system at the Helsinki University Hospital, patients with inoperable, locally recurrent head, neck, and other cancers incurable with conventional radiation therapy are now much closer to reaping benefits from boron neutron capture therapy.
About the Helsinki University Hospital
Helsinki University Hospital is a pioneer in the clinical use of BNCT. Using a research nuclear reactor as the neutron source, the hospital has applied BNCT to over 200 cancer patients. Using the Neutron Therapeutics nuBeam® platform, Helsinki University Hospital will continue its leadership in developing clinical applications for many cancer indications and become Europe's first clinical accelerator-based BNCT system.
About Neutron Therapeutics
Neutron Therapeutics is a leading provider of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) systems for use in the radiation treatment of cancer patients. Neutron Therapeutics' flagship product, the nuBeam® therapy platform, is an accelerator-based, in-hospital neutron source to replace the previously required nuclear reactor. nuBeam® has the highest flux of all BNCT systems and is the only device compliant with IAEA standards for the clinical use of neutrons.
About Cosylab
Cosylab is the leading provider of software solutions for the world's most complex, precise, and advanced systems. Its technology enables organizations to discover scientific breakthroughs, offer state-of-the-art cancer treatment and healthcare innovations, and bring clean fusion power to the future energy market. Cosylab provides software products and services to the largest medical device manufacturers and cancer centres worldwide. The company's solutions are integrated into the most significant Big Science international projects, including CERN and ITER. Through its headquarters in the EU and subsidiaries across Europe, North America and Asia, Cosylab has worked on hundreds of multi-year and multi-team projects worldwide.
