By Robert Norris, The Daily Times
ProNova Solutions delivered a 230 MeV cyclotron to the Provision Center for Proton Therapy in Knoxville on Monday.
When installation is complete, the Knoxville facility will be the first in the world to have two cyclotrons delivering protons to treat cancer patients, according to the company.
The bottom section of the cyclotron was lifted from a flatbed trailer and lowered into the vault. The middle and top sections of the cyclotron, which weigh a total of about 200 tons, will be installed in the near future.
Joe Matteo, division president of ProNova Solutions, R&D and manufacturing, said because of the unique design of the system, the entire cancer-fighting technology can be delivered using standard freight carriers.
“We are thrilled to be installing our first system in Knoxville at the Provision Center for Proton Therapy and look forward to delivering our next systems in Asia and Europe,” Matteo said in a statement.
ProNova is building a $52 million, 55,000-square-foot R&D and manufacturing facility at Pellissippi Place in Blount County on Old Knoxville Highway at Pellissippi Parkway.
The first phase of the Alcoa facility will enable ProNova to manufacture and fully test the SC360 system in the United States. The building will be completed in November of this year, with ProNova starting operations in January 2015.
The cyclotron, also called an accelerator, takes photons extracted from hydrogen molecules and accelerates them to two-thirds the speed of light and feeds them into a superconducting gantry.
The Provision Center for Proton Therapy is the first installation of the new ProNova SC360 compact proton therapy solution. The currently operating proton center, which houses a cyclotron and three treatment rooms, is adding a two-room ProNova SC360 system.
The ProNova system installation, which includes a compact superconducting gantry treatment room and beam line, will be completed in December. Upon completion, Provision Center for Proton Therapy will have five treatment rooms.
The cyclotron was built in Japan. Most of the rest of the system was built on-site in Knoxville with some parts being manufactured in Oak Ridge and Indiana, said Bill Hansen, vice president of strategic development for Provision and ProNova.
Hansen said ProNova expects to eventually design and manufacture virtually all of the ProNova SC360 compact proton therapy solution at Pellissippi Place, where the next generation of proton therapy devices will be built.
Maximizes dose to tumor
The ProNova SC360 includes Fast Scanning IMPT technology with integrated 3D imaging. This unique solution merges leading edge pencil-beam delivery, innovative dual-energy 3D imaging capability, and precision positioning to aid physicians and therapists in minimizing collateral damage to healthy tissue and maximizing dose to the tumor.
The ProNova compact superconducting gantry is a first of its kind and allows for 360 degrees of patient treatment angle and improved workflow, resulting in faster treatment times and higher productivity.
Hansen spoke Monday from the 56th annual meeting of ASTRO (American Society for Therapeutic Radiology) being held at the Mosone Center in San Francisco. This year’s meeting is highlighting many of the advances in proton therapy, including the need for continued innovation in imaging capability and positioning accuracy. The new ProNova SC360 system is on display at the convention and is generating a lot of conversation, according to Hansen.
“It has been fantastic. We’ve had incredible response and interest. Everyone’s waiting to see what we’re doing in Knoxville,” he said.
Complete installation and testing of the new ProNova SC360 system at Provision Center for Proton Therapy should be completed in about one year, with treatment of patients following regulatory approval by the Federal Drug Administration.