Varian Medical Systems and Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) Announce Collaboration on Motion Management for IMPT

Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) and Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) are announcing a collaboration to further advance motion management techniques for proton therapy. The multi-year agreement, aimed at optimizing treatment strategies for indications such as cancer in the lung, liver, pancreas and breast, will evaluate strategies using a 4-D treatment planning simulator developed by PSI.

Proton therapy involves the use of a controlled beam of protons to target tumors with higher levels of precision than is possible with other forms of radiation therapy, potentially limiting damage to healthy surrounding tissue.

The Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland is a pioneer in the development of Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) techniques, and specializes in the treatment of pediatric patients. "We hope to exploit our unique methods for simulating clinically realistic organ motions for the study of motion mitigation techniques for spot scanned proton therapy," says Professor Tony Lomax from PSI. "This project will utilize 4-D motion data sets and dose calculations that can uniquely model patient motion variations that are difficult to capture with conventional data sets."