LITTLETON, Mass., May 14 /PRNewswire/ — Still River Systems,
Inc. announces successful clinical beam extraction from the first
production unit of the world’s smallest high-energy proton therapy
accelerator. Powerful proton beams are used for the precise
treatment of cancer by delivering a highly focused beam of
radiation to the tumor while reducing the damage to surrounding
healthy tissue and vital organs. This unique accelerator, the
world’s first superconducting synchrocyclotron, has been specially
designed for the Monarch250 Proton Therapy System currently being
installed at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital
and Washington University School of
Medicine in St. Louis, MO, a
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Accelerators have been used in proton therapy for 60 years, but
their size, complexity, and cost have limited adoption of this
cancer therapy to a few centers around the world. Still
River Systems, based on technology developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology‘s
Plasma Science Fusion Center, has now harnessed breakthroughs in
superconducting technology to create the world’s smallest
high-energy proton therapy accelerator. “The successful
testing of our first production accelerator is the culmination of
several years of development”, explains Dr. Kenneth Gall, Founder and Chief Technology
Officer. “We have used advanced superconducting technology and a
unique synchrocyclotron design to build a modern accelerator
optimized for proton therapy.” With a diameter of only 6 feet
and a weight of 20 tons, this accelerator generates a powerful 250
MeV proton beam.
The Siteman Cancer Center will be the first in the world to
receiv
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