The procurement decision by the Skandion Clinic (Skandionkliniken) in Uppsala, Sweden, has been reaffirmed following a competitor’s withdrawal of its second appeal. This means that the clinic will equip its proton therapy center with the C-RAD surface tracking solution.
The tender includes systems for four rooms in total with an option for two additional rooms and a long-term service contract. Now that all legal barriers have been removed, the only step remaining is the formal signing of the contract.
C-RAD has released a specific version of its Catalyst System for use in proton and particle therapy. Software and hardware are tailored for the application in this particular environment. In April 2015, C-RAD released the Universal Beam Triggering interface (UBTI), a beam-control interface that allows respiratory gated treatments on IBA proton therapy machines. This was an important functionality required by the Skandion Clinic.
The C-RAD’s Sentinel and Catalyst systems are characterized by a seamless integration into clinical environments. Interfaces to the treatment systems themselves and to existing radiation oncology information systems (ROIS) are essential to secure a smooth, secure and automated clinical workflow. As the Skandion Clinic is equipped with the MOSAIQ® ROIS, they considered this interface to be as essential, as the C-RAD solution could provide unique advantages.
The Skandion Clinic published its first tender in mid-2014. While it was decided in C-RAD’s favor, it was appealed by Uppsala-based Radiotherapy Equipment Scandinavia (Radeq), which distributes a competitive product. The tender was then relaunched and decided in C-RAD’s favor for the second time. The same competitor again filed an appeal, but withdrew it earlier this week. As a next step the purchasing agreement between the Skandion Clinic and C-RAD will be signed, which is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
“This first installation with the Skandion Clinic opens a new door into the fast-growing proton and particle therapy market,” says Tim Thurn, CEO of C-RAD. “There are additional projects coming up in the Nordic region as well the US in the next few years, and Asia is also a very rapidly developing proton and particle therapy market. The accuracy and workflow integration provided by the C‑RAD solution are tailored exactly to customers’ clinical needs. C-RAD is actively involved in other projects that are expected to be decided upon at the end of this year.”
