Livermore, Calif. – November 13, 2012 – Compact Particle Acceleration Corporation (CPAC) announced today that following a series of recent technical breakthroughs on a prototype DWA test accelerator, it has received a letter of intent for delivery of one of its first proton therapy systems to Southwest Oncology Centers, a renowned radiation oncology facility in the United States.
CPAC’s first clinical system will be a single room, fixed scanning beam, 50-150 MeV system that is upgradeable to 215 MeV. It will be intended for installation in existing treatment facilities and will fit in a space not much larger than existing linear accelerators with relatively small retrofits. CPAC plans to release the detailed system specifications in the coming months.
“Four years ago we were first introduced to CPAC and its unique compact, proton beam accelerator. A compact, cost effective proton solution with extremely low neutron contamination will allow community based cancer centers to offer proton treatments to a larger patient population,” according to Dr. Gordon L. Grado, Medical Director of Southwest Oncology Centers in Arizona, and the Wuertele Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Minnesota. “The high costs of Proton Centers, typically between $100 Million and $200 Million dollars are a reason for the limited number of treatment facilities in the United States. This limits the number of cancer patients that can take advantage of this highly desirable cutting edge technology. Greater access to this technology will allow patients to remain closer to their family and friends as they battle cancer. The CPAC’s DWA system will allow us to provide even greater treatment options for both the early and advanced cancer patients and tumor challenges that we see at all of our facilities.”
Proton therapy is a particularly compelling treatment for pediatric patients and some hard-to-treat cancers, such as those requiring high doses of radiation or tumors that are close to sensitive structures. Because of the cost and size of proton therapy systems, this type of therapy has been limited to approximately 30 centers around the world. With its pioneering work on developing a compact proton accelerator, CPAC aims to make this treatment accessible to every cancer center.
CPAC’s new proton therapy system employs a very compact accelerator based on the Dielectric Wall Accelerator (DWA) technology developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The prototype accelerator in operation at the CPAC facility has recently achieved an accelerating gradient approaching 20 million electron volts per meter (MeV/m).
“This gradient is comparable to those achieved by the most advanced medical accelerator devices today,” said Anthony Zografos, Ph.D., CPAC’s Chief Operating Officer. “In addition, we have developed new, breakthrough technology for the DWA that will remove the stress from critical system components and allow even higher accelerating gradients. This proprietary technology, now being incorporated into the prototype system is a major step towards achieving 25 MeV/m in the coming weeks and is a significant step toward reaching 35 MeV/m. We have already demonstrated some highly desirable clinical features, unique to our device, such as shot-to-shot control of proton energy, dose rate and spot size which greatly facilitate the delivery of the most advanced form of proton therapy, Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy.”
About Compact Particle Acceleration Corporation (CPAC)
Compact Particle Acceleration Corporation (CPAC) is an independent privately held corporation in the proton therapy system business. The company is developing a very compact proton therapy system powered by the dielectric-wall accelerator (DWA). For more information, visit www.CPAC.pro.
Media Contact:
Anthony Zografos
Chief Operating Officer
925-583-2702
azografos@cpac.pro
Home About CPAC Why CPAC? Photoconductive Switch Technology Leadership Press Releases
©
CPAC’s first clinical system will be a single room, fixed scanning beam, 50-150 MeV system that is upgradeable to 215 MeV. It will be intended for installation in existing treatment facilities and will fit in a space not much larger than existing linear accelerators with relatively small retrofits. CPAC plans to release the detailed system specifications in the coming months.
“Four years ago we were first introduced to CPAC and its unique compact, proton beam accelerator. A compact, cost effective proton solution with extremely low neutron contamination will allow community based cancer centers to offer proton treatments to a larger patient population,” according to Dr. Gordon L. Grado, Medical Director of Southwest Oncology Centers in Arizona, and the Wuertele Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Minnesota. “The high costs of Proton Centers, typically between $100 Million and $200 Million dollars are a reason for the limited number of treatment facilities in the United States. This limits the number of cancer patients that can take advantage of this highly desirable cutting edge technology. Greater access to this technology will allow patients to remain closer to their family and friends as they battle cancer. The CPAC’s DWA system will allow us to provide even greater treatment options for both the early and advanced cancer patients and tumor challenges that we see at all of our facilities.”
Proton therapy is a particularly compelling treatment for pediatric patients and some hard-to-treat cancers, such as those requiring high doses of radiation or tumors that are close to sensitive structures. Because of the cost and size of proton therapy systems, this type of therapy has been limited to approximately 30 centers around the world. With its pioneering work on developing a compact proton accelerator, CPAC aims to make this treatment accessible to every cancer center.
CPAC’s new proton therapy system employs a very compact accelerator based on the Dielectric Wall Accelerator (DWA) technology developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The prototype accelerator in operation at the CPAC facility has recently achieved an accelerating gradient approaching 20 million electron volts per meter (MeV/m).
“This gradient is comparable to those achieved by the most advanced medical accelerator devices today,” said Anthony Zografos, Ph.D., CPAC’s Chief Operating Officer. “In addition, we have developed new, breakthrough technology for the DWA that will remove the stress from critical system components and allow even higher accelerating gradients. This proprietary technology, now being incorporated into the prototype system is a major step towards achieving 25 MeV/m in the coming weeks and is a significant step toward reaching 35 MeV/m. We have already demonstrated some highly desirable clinical features, unique to our device, such as shot-to-shot control of proton energy, dose rate and spot size which greatly facilitate the delivery of the most advanced form of proton therapy, Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy.”
About Compact Particle Acceleration Corporation (CPAC)
Compact Particle Acceleration Corporation (CPAC) is an independent privately held corporation in the proton therapy system business. The company is developing a very compact proton therapy system powered by the dielectric-wall accelerator (DWA). For more information, visit www.CPAC.pro.
Media Contact:
Anthony Zografos
Chief Operating Officer
925-583-2702
azografos@cpac.pro
Home About CPAC Why CPAC? Photoconductive Switch Technology Leadership Press Releases
©
