Proton Partners International has announced plans to build a new £35m cancer treatment centre in Liverpool (Proton Partners International, 2017).

The cancer centre will be built in the new £1bn Paddington Village, part of Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter (KQ). It will be one of four centres built by Proton Partners International in the UK and will make the company the world’s largest developer of proton beam therapy centres. Proton Partners International is currently building three other UK cancer centres, in Newport, Northumberland and Reading, and is considering further sites.

The oncology centre, which will be known as The Rutherford Cancer Centre North West, will offer radiotherapy, chemotherapy and imaging from 2018, and proton beam therapy will be available in 2019.

Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said “We are delighted KQ Liverpool has been able to attract another prestigious development to Paddington Village. Momentum is really beginning to build for KQ Liverpool and we can expect more exciting announcements like Proton Partners International’s, which will further cement its reputation as a world leading hub in medical and life sciences research.”

Mike Moran, chief executive officer of Proton Partners International, said “I am delighted to announce that our fourth UK centre is to be in my home city of Liverpool. Not only will we be bringing the top cancer technology to the North West, but we will be located at heart of what will be a world-class destination for science, innovation, education and technology. This investment will not only enhance the level of cancer treatment available to patients, but will also bring skilled jobs to the area.”

It is expected The Rutherford Cancer Centres will each be able to treat up to five hundred patients a year and treatment will be available to medically-insured private patients, self-paying patients and patients referred by the NHS.

Proton Partners International is also building a genomics research centre at the Life Sciences Accelerator building in Liverpool which will be the first part of a health campus set to surround the new £335m Royal Liverpool Hospital. The genomics programme will support Proton Partners International’s broader research work with the University of Liverpool’s Physics Department.