PALO ALTO, Calif. and JINAN, China, May 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian (NYSE: VAR) today announced it has signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Shandong Cancer Hospital in China, for proton therapy clinical application and research. The agreement signing ceremony on May 9th in Jinan, China was attended by Professor Yu Jinming, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Shandong Cancer Hospital & Institute, Kolleen Kennedy, president, Proton Solutions and chief growth officer of Varian, and Dr. Zhang Xiao, vice president and head of Varian Greater China.
In addition to the clinical application and research agreement, Varian has been selected via a public tender to equip the new multi-room Proton Clinical Research Center of Shandong Cancer Hospital in China with the ProBeam® proton therapy system. Varian will also install its ARIA® oncology information management system and Eclipse™ treatment planning software. The company will book the order for the equipment and software in the third quarter of its fiscal year 2019.
The Proton Clinical Research Center of Shandong Cancer Hospital is co-funded by Shandong province and Jinan city governments and run by Shandong Cancer Hospital & Institute, one of the leading cancer centers in China. The new proton center is located in Jinan International Center for Medical Science as its core project. When completed, the center will feature three proton therapy treatment rooms with full 360-degree rotational gantries, as well as a fixed-beam research room, with the aim to treat patients in 2021, and to develop into a world-class center in 10 years to benefit local patients and ones from surrounding areas.
"We are pleased to be partnering with Varian to build a first-class proton therapy center, training and research base, and making this cancer treatment technology available to many more patients in China and Northeast Asia," said Professor Yu Jinming, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Shandong Cancer Hospital & Institute. "Once operational, it will also be a platform for technology innovations and clinical translation to develop more advanced clinical research."
"We are honored by this opportunity to strengthen our partnership with Shandong Cancer Hospital & Institute and expand access to proton therapy in China," said Kolleen Kennedy, president, Proton Solutions and chief growth officer, Varian. "Leveraging our extensive experience, superior capabilities, robust performance, and rich training and research resources, we are well-positioned to support Proton Clinical Research Center of Shandong Cancer Hospital to achieve its vision. We also hope to work together with Proton Clinical Research Center of Shandong Cancer Hospital to advance Flash therapy and move us closer to a world without fear of cancer."
Varian will leverage its global leadership in proton therapy and further expand its cooperation with Shandong Cancer Hospital & Institute by creating a proton clinical training school, developing proton therapy clinical application guidelines in China, and conducting research on Big Data and AI, as well as Flash therapy, which represents the potential for a major breakthrough in the treatment of cancer.
The center will be equipped with Varian's ProBeam system, which is the first to offer fully-integrated intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT). The ProBeam system also consists of a superconducting cyclotron, 360-degree gantry and high-speed pencil-beam scanning technology. The system's integrated cone beam CT provides accurate patient positioning based on high quality anatomical images with excellent soft tissue resolution. In combination with ARIA oncology information system and Eclipse treatment planning system, it enables an efficient adaptive workflow. The system can also provide clinicians a viable path to potential next-generation treatments such as Flash therapy.
Currently 26 leading proton centers have selected the Varian solution, and 10 of the centers are in clinical operation. To learn more about the ProBeam system, visit www.varian.com/probeam.
About Varian
Varian is a leader in developing and delivering cancer care solutions and is focused on creating a world without fear of cancer. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Varian employs approximately 7,000 people around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com and follow @VarianMedSys on Twitter.
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SOURCE Varian