IBA, Royal Philips and Proton Partners International have announced that they will be collaborating to build the first compact proton therapy system in the Middle East (MediWales, 2017). The proton therapy centre will be part of a large existing hospital, the Gulf International Cancer Center.

The proton therapy centre will be the first compact proton therapy solution to be sold and installed in the Middle East. The contract, announced in September 2016, covers the delivery of the ProteusONE equipment, including Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS) and Cone Beam CT (CBCT) capabilities, making it the compact solution best suited for Adaptive Treatment. The contract also includes a maintenance agreement. This project is part of a framework agreement signed by IBA and Philips in September 2014 to advance the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

IBA and Philips offer unique integrated solutions for proton therapy and molecular imaging centres. Together with Proton Partners International, they are currently installing state-of-the-art proton therapy systems in three compact proton therapy centres in the UK, with two additional centres being planned. Depending on the project, the installed solution can include IBA’s proton therapy solutions, such as the ProteusONE and ProteusPLUS, and Philips’ imaging and clinical informatics solutions, such as Philips’ Big Bore CT and PET CT systems and Philips’ Pinnacle3 Treatment Planning System. IBA, Philips and PPI have collaborated on projects since 2014 to provide advanced diagnostic and therapeutic oncology solutions.

Olivier Legrain, Chief Executive Officer at IBA, said “We are all pleased to strengthen and accelerate the strategic partnership between our companies to give more patients access to proton therapy across the globe. All the achievements reached during the last three years demonstrate the benefit of the relationship between the two organisations in staying at the forefront of innovation in cancer treatment.”

Ronald de Jong, Chief Market Leader at Royal Philips, said “Our aim in oncology is to improve patient outcomes and enhance quality of life, combined with the best possible patient experience. With our combined technologies and services for informed, confident decision making, imaging, precision planning and targeted patient-specific therapy, IBA and Philips can help to make this possible. We are delighted with the progress we have made in bringing advanced proton therapy to more people. We look forward to continuing our joint innovation efforts and making a real difference in cancer care.”

Mike Moran, Chief Executive Officer of Proton Partners International, said “Proton Partners is delighted to be partnering with IBA and Royal Philips in bringing innovative proton beam therapy to the Middle East. We are the UK’s leading developer of proton beam therapy facilities and we are currently developing three centres across the UK, with two others being planned. Our long-term vision is to build seven UK centres and five international centres which will make Proton Partners the world’s largest operator of proton beam therapy.

“We are now fully established in the Gulf International Cancer Center in Abu Dhabi. Conventional treatments are currently on offer, such as chemotherapy, traditional radiotherapy, diagnostics and counselling, and we expect proton beam therapy to be available from January 2019.

“Cancer incidence is rising dramatically globally and more innovation is needed to deal with this disease. We envisage this development will put the UAE in the frontline of cancer treatment and research and look forward to building on our strong relationship with IBA and Royal Philips.”