Advanced Oncotherapy passes key technological milestone

Advanced Oncotherapy PLC (LON:AVO) said it has passed a key technological milestone on schedule.

Researchers at the CERN facility in Geneva working on the company’s LIGHT system have confirmed it is now generating proton beams with sufficient energy to treat superficial tumours.

“This announcement marks the shift from a complex ‑ albeit well-proven ‑ scientific and physics reality into a medical application with tangible and direct implications for patients,” said chief executive Nicolas Sérandour.

“This very important step supports the confidence we have in delivering our plan and being in a position to offer a system that delivers a better outcome for patients whilst generating more value for the operators.”

The results from the work to date showed the LIGHT proton beam technology comfortably treated simulated superficial tumours and marginally deeper cancers.

Healthy tissue, such as the eye and the lens, was spared because of the targeted nature of the device. Dosing was well controlled.

Next target in sight 

The development team is now focused on the “relatively low-execution risk activity” of adding further accelerating modules.

This will ensure the AVO equipment can treat all indications suitable for proton therapy.

“A further technical update will be provided in the next few days,” the company said.

LIGHT stands for Linac Image Guided Hadron Technology. The AVO kit is cheaper and smaller than the current units, which are almost prohibitively expensive.

It has the ability to propel protons at the speeds generated by much larger machines.

The proton accelerator used by Advanced Oncotherapy was licensed from CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, which is currently hunting the ‘God particle’.

Story by ProactiveInvestors