Nov 10, 2011
LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, BELGIUM, 9 November 2011 – IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.) announces today that the Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ) awarded to IBA the supply of the extension of the IFJ Proton Therapy Center, Krakow, Poland.
This agreement for the second phase of development of the PT center amounts to between 15 and 20 million Euros. It includes a gantry treatment room and associated building. The building work will be subcontracted by IBA to a major European building contractor. In 2010, IBA was awarded the first phase of this project which included the supply of a cyclotron and associated equipment.
The gantry treatment room will allow IFJ to treat patients using a state-of-the-art radiation delivery technique called Pencil Beam Scanning (“PBS”). This advanced treatment method allows physicians to precisely “paint the targeted cells”, in 3-D, with the treatment beam, thus further optimizing the targeting of the tumor while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. The aim remains the limitation of the short term side effects of the treatment and the preservation of the quality of life of patients over the long term.
“Thanks to the agreement concluded today between the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences and IBA S.A., the first proton therapy center equipped with a modern Gantry Treatment Room and a scanning beam will be built in Poland. It is a very important day in the Institute’s history as well as a breakthrough in cancer treatment in Poland. We evaluate the effects of our cooperation with the company IBA as very successful. As a result, the Cyclotron Center Bronowice in the Institute will become an important center for research in physics, medicine and related sciences by 2014” said Prof. Marek Jezabek, Director General of the IFJ.
“The award of this tender confirms IBA’s position as a leading expert and a trusted partner for the development and delivery of Proton Therapy treatment facilities around the world. We are honored to partner again with the prestigious Polish Academy of Sciences and help them to advance cancer treatment in Poland” said Pierre Mottet, Chief Executive Officer of IBA.
The IFJ PT center will be IBA’s 5th clinical proton therapy center in Europe. Worldwide, 21 proton therapy centers have chosen IBA for the supply of the treatment equipment; this represents over half of the clinicalbased proton therapy facilities in the world.\
ABOUT IBA
IBA develops and markets leading-edge technologies, pharmaceuticals and tailor-made solutions for healthcare with a focus on cancer diagnosis and therapy. Leveraging on its scientific expertise, IBA is also active in the field of industrial sterilization and ionization.
