LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium/PRNewswire/ -- IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.), developer of equipment and pharmaceuticals dedicated to cancer diagnosis and treatment, announced Thursday that it has sold the prototype of its next generation carbon therapy system to the French company CYCLHAD (un CYCLotron pour l'HADrontherapie, or a Cyclotron for Hadron Therapy). CYCLHAD is a joint venture between IBA, SAPHYN (SAnte et PHYsique Nucleaire, or Nuclear Health and Physics, a semi-public company in Caen, France) and financial partners. Simultaneously, IBA has signed a research and development agreement with SAPHYN to jointly develop the potential of carbon beam therapy. These agreements will enable IBA to continue its commitment towards providing next generation cancer therapy techniques and personalized patient care.

Under the terms of the sales agreement, IBA will provide CYCLHAD with the prototype of its next generation carbon therapy system based on an advanced 400 MeV (millions of electron volts) superconducting isochronous cyclotron able to accelerate carbon ions used in cancer therapy. IBA will be responsible for the research, development and validation of all technical and scientific equipment, and for the installation of the cyclotron in CYCLHAD's research center in Caen, along with one fixed beam clinical research room and one fixed beam physics research room. IBA will also provide CYCLHAD with a 15-year service contract on the system. IBA will receive a payment of between 60 and 70 million Euros for the equipment and services from CYCLHAD. The contract signed today is still contingent on CYCLHAD obtaining the necessary bank financing. As the system is a prototype, this contract will have a very limited impact on IBA profits.

"Carbon shows enormous potential as a powerful solution for difficult problems in the radiotherapy of cancer. Its ability to treat tumors that have had the reputation of being radiation-resistant can be crucial when treating cancers in areas such as the head and neck," said Yves Jongen, founder and CRO of IBA. "As a pioneer in proton therapy, IBA is dedicated to making the most accurate cancer treatments available to radiation oncologists and patients through new developments that maximize our expertise. This is also the first IBA system using the technology of superconducting magnets which is likely to revolutionize cyclotron technology in the coming years. IBA is pleased to partner with public and semi-public institutions in the Caen area and share the same mission to develop novel techniques that could benefit patient health on a global scale."

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