ADVANCED ONCOTHERAPY

Committed to defeating cancer and to democratising proton therapy

*The LIGHT Proton Therapy System is still subject to conformity assessment by Advanced Oncotherapy’s Notified Body as well as clearance by the USA-FDA Advanced Oncotherapy is set to deliver disruptive proton therapy technology in the treatment of cancer.

Its innovative LIGHT (LINAC Image Guided Hadron Technology) Proton Therapy Solution* has been designed to offer clinically superior treatments for cancer patients, as well as operational advantages for hospitals and clinics.

Radiation therapy remains the most established and economical cancer therapy

Radiation, used alone or in association with different treatments, has been an effective tool for treating cancer for more than 100 years. It is estimated that about two-thirds of US cancer patients will receive radiation as unique treatment or as part of a more complex therapeutic protocol, and it remains today the most economical approach to cure cancer.

Proton therapy: the new generation of radiation treatments in oncology

Proton therapy is an advanced form of cancer therapy that takes radiation to a new level. It targets areas of the body with a higher degree of precision and with fewer side effects than what is observed with conventional X-rays machines.

As protons travel through the body, most of the energy is reserved and released where the protons stop i.e. in the tumour. This is a unique physical characteristic of proton called the Bragg Peak. However, photons – used in conventional radiation therapy – release energy along the entire path they travel. This fundamental difference is what makes proton therapy preferential for certain tumours. If critical organs are along the path the radiation travels, protons cause less damage to them. Proton therapy can reduce excess radiation to normal cells and critical structures and organs with 60% less radiation to healthy tissues.

Damage occurring to surrounding tissue

Tumour

Depth (cm)

Protons

The proton dose increases with depth, resulting in a Bragg curve with a peak at the required depth level. This results in significant extra dose in the tumour.

X-rays (Photons)

Photon dose distributions as a function of depth show a maximum dose close to the entrance after a short build-up and then an exponentially decreasing energy deposition with increasing depth in tissue.

Our distinctiveness

LIGHT is the first linear proton therapy system dedicated to the treatment of tumours. It combines a compact linear accelerator made up by a sequence of accelerating structures and the hardware and software needed for covering the needs of clinicians, such as the treatment planning function and its optimisation. LIGHT accelerates protons in a straight path obviating the need for bending magnets and addressing the technical challenges associated with legacy systems.

Making proton more accessible

Conventional proton therapy systems require a large footprint and significant capital investment. This is primarily due to the unsolved technical challenges associated with the way protons are accelerated: in a circular fashion; this makes proton therapy out of reach for most hospitals and inaccessible for many patients. Making more compact systems and reducing their costs are a way to lower the threshold and make proton therapy a treatment option available to everyone. Through its noncircular and modular design developed at the world-renowned organisation CERN, LIGHT is uniquely positioned to make proton therapy more accessible. Soon, LIGHT will be available in the UK, but also in many other countries around the world.

LIGHT is designed to deliver a highquality proton beam

Variable spot size

Future versions of LIGHT should allow for the spot size to be changed rapidly. The large spots allow for a target to be painted rapidly; the smaller spots allow for increased accuracy.

Target conformality

The variable spot size, energy delivery, and energy change are designed for the physician to achieve the maximum tumour response whilst minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.

Rapid painting

The beam is controlled electronically and can be moved up to 200 times per second across the tumour, rapidly covering the target volume.

Variable energy

The energy in the LIGHT System is varied electronically without moving parts. There is no need for absorbers or any other energy reduction devices for most beam energies. This results in a cleaner, more versatile system. The electronic energy changes are designed to be especially applied to moving tumours. This is a unique feature of linear accelerators and cannot be achieved with any other system.

Mini-beam

Advanced Oncotherapy’s LIGHT has been designed to generate a much smaller beam, a mini-beam, than is possible with current proton therapy technology. The use of a smaller beam means greater accuracy in targeting the desired tissue, which is essential when treating tumours near critical organs, particularly for the edge of the tumours.

LIGHT beam Cyclotron beam Dose Difference plot (LIGHT minus Cyclotron dose)

Making proton therapy more affordable

LIGHT is well positioned to reduce the treatment price per patient at a fraction of the price charged today for patients receiving proton therapy. LIGHT has been designed to minimise the costs of setting up and running a proton therapy centre as well as maximise the patient throughput. The LIGHT system is modular and hence can be easily installed directly into clinical facilities. It produces proton beams at the required energy level for treatment without the need for degraders, therefore greatly decreasing the need for expensive shielding and reducing the building and installation cost. LIGHT requires less shielding, a significant source of cost reduction. LIGHT is also constructed in reasonable size modules. This has many advantages over conventional proton therapy systems:

• it can be easily installed directly into existing clinical facilities; • it can be installed in a contiguous and densely populated environment; • it does not require expensive cranes or load handling devices; • it is easier to transport, commission and decommission; • it enables easier maintenance given that individual modules can be replaced as opposed to the entire system.

The modularity of the LIGHT system also brings additional benefits for customers in the context of facilitating high-volume production and optimising future costs as well funding the acquisition of the equipment and reducing the upfront cash outlay.

Cleveland Clinic

Two-year study to evaluate the target conformity of proton mini-beams in comparison with X-ray stereotactic body radiation therapy and strereotactic radiosurgery

London – Harley Street

Partnership with The London Clinic to operate a LIGHT system in Harley Street

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham

Research collaboration partnership for installing a LIGHT system in Birmingham

Saba Partners

Partnership to install a LIGHT system in Glion, Switzerland

Kineo Finance

Partnership with Kineo Finance (previously DiaMedCare AG) to fund the leasing of LIGHT systems to customers

The Mediterranean Hospital of Limassol

Sale of a LIGHT system to the Mediterranean Hospital (Cyprus)

“Proton beam therapy is a very exciting new treatment, but access has been limited due to the costs and size of equipment. Until now. Advanced Oncotherapy’s LIGHT system reduces size and cost, while providing the same high success rate for patients. We’re excited to be the fi rst hospital in London to offer this new treatment. The new service will adjoin our main site on Harley Street, and enable The London Clinic to help even more patients fi ght and survive cancer while furthering our aim of advancing healthcare.”

Al Russell, Chief Executive Offi cer of The London Clinic

For further information on Advanced Oncotherapy and its innovative LIGHT system, please get in touch.

London Offi ce Advanced Oncotherapy plc Third Floor, 4 Tenterden Street W1S 1TE London

STFC Daresbury Laboratory Testing and Assembly Site Keckwick Lane Warrington WA4 4AD

ADAM S.A.

Advanced Oncotherapy R&D facility Rue de Veyrot 11, 1217 Meyrin, Switzerland

US Offi ce

Advanced Oncotherapy Americas Inc 120 Walton Street, Suite 105 Syracuse NY 13202 USA

Netherlands Advanced Oncotherapy B.V. Kazernestraat 88D 2514CW Den Haag The Netherlands