New Two-Room Solution From IBA Will Make Proton Therapy Truly Accessible for More Cancer Patients.

LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium -- The Proteus Nano -- a smaller, lower-cost alternative to traditional Proton Therapy centers for cancer treatment -- has been developed by IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.). Oncology professionals can learn more about the Proteus Nano at the IBA booth (#2400) at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), Nov. 1-5, 2009, at McCormick Place West in Chicago, Ill. For additional information on the Proteus Nano, visit www.iba-proteus-nano.com.

Recently developed Proton Therapy centers have been very large freestanding facilities -- at least two stories aboveground with footprints as large as 100,000 square feet. A project this comprehensive is prohibitive for many institutions. The Proteus Nano requires a much smaller footprint to house the center; is available at the lowest acquisition cost per room in the industry; and provides a faster, less capital-intensive way to add Proton Therapy to an existing medical facility.

This two-room Proton Therapy solution is a new way to make this leading-edge cancer treatment available to many more people worldwide. Proton Therapy uses highly accelerated proton beams to target tumors, releasing energy inside the tumor and killing cancer cells. The abrupt falloff of proton energy outside the targeted area ensures little to no radiation travels beyond the tumor into healthy tissues, helping to avoid treatment side effects.

Smaller Footprint and Lowest Acquisition Cost

The unique design of Proteus Nano results in a smaller footprint. Utilizing IBA's innovative Vbeam technology, Proteus Nano optimizes the space, minimizing the land required and lowering the cost. This new two-room configuration makes Proton Therapy truly accessible today, more than ever.

With the Proteus Nano and IBA's comprehensive startup support services, organizations can anticipate lower development and maintenance costs, with quicker installation and ramp-up time. IBA's MaxiPRO financing includes the design of the center, plus installation, operation and maintenance of the equipment. Facilities make no payment until patient revenues begin.

"IBA is so committed to making this life-saving technology available to patients that it is investing in market development by enabling customers to offer Proton Therapy via a rental program where rent payments are aligned with patient revenues," says Jean-Marc Andral, President, IBA Advanced Radiotherapy Solutions.

Proven Technology

IBA has developed and equipped the majority of the clinically operational Proton Therapy facilities in the world. The Proteus Nano, provides all the dependability and flexibility of IBA's market-leading technology in a smaller footprint and at a significantly lower cost.

IBA's Vbeam technology locates the proton accelerator (cyclotron) on a lower level, beneath the two treatment rooms. Protons are accelerated and transported vertically up to the treatment level, then directed horizontally into the treatment rooms.

"The Proteus Nano can be a valuable addition for a number of medical groups, from large academic medical centers to established urban hospitals to smaller community-based hospitals with the normal complement of radiotherapy department resources in close proximity," continues Andral. "Having a lower-cost, more compact option for cancer care can provide patients with increased access to leading-edge Proton Therapy -- right in their own communities. By reducing the scale and complexity of these projects, we anticipate patients will soon travel shorter distances to receive this potentially life-saving treatment."

ABOUT PROTON THERAPY

Proton Therapy cancer treatment uses energized protons to precisely target tumors and destroy malignant cells. A cyclotron accelerates protons to an extremely high speed, then generates a controlled beam that is directed by magnetic fields through a nozzle to the targeted tumor, releasing a dose of protons inside the tumor that kills cancer cells with minimal impact on surrounding healthy tissues. This conformal dose delivery is particularly important in pediatric cases, since avoiding even moderate amounts of radiation to normal tissues in children is of critical importance in preventing later cognitive impairments and radiation-induced tumors.

ABOUT IBA

Founded in 1986 in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, IBA is primarily active in the medical industry. It develops and markets state-of-the-art equipment and radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and treatment. In addition, it uses the scientific expertise thus gained to provide electron accelerators for industrial sterilization and ionization. Listed on the pan-European stock exchange Euronext, IBA is included in the BEL Mid Index (IBA: Reuters IBAB.BR and Bloomberg IBAB.BB). Web site: www.iba-protontherapy.com.

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