London, 8 July 2016: Vision RT, global leader in surface guided radiotherapy cancer treatment, has been presented with two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

The awards, one for International Trade and one for Innovation, were presented to the company by Leslie Morgan OBE, Deputy Lieutenant of the Greater London Lieutenancy. Vision RT was one of only six British companies to receive two Queens Awards at the Queen’s 90th birthday awards in 2016.

Vision RT’s technology tracks the patient’s position in 3D before and during radiation therapy, helping clinical users deliver radiation safely, efficiently, and comfortably.
The company was started in 2001 by CEO Dr. Norman Smith in the attic of his parents-in-law, together with CTO Dr. Ivan Meir and Mr Peter Kalms. Initial prototype systems were installed around London and at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the top cancer centers in the USA.

The success of Vision RT’s technology grew over the next 15 years, with a steadily increasing number of systems being installed worldwide and a “white-label” OEM agreement signed with the world leader in radiation therapy, Varian Medical Systems, in October 2012. Today, over 700 systems using Vision RT’s technology have been sold to cancer clinics around the world, including 37 of the top 50 US hospitals for cancer care*. The company experienced 260% growth in overseas sales between 2013 and 2015, employs over 110 people and rapidly increasing, and has 41 granted** and 37 patents pending in the US, UK, Europe and beyond.

Using Surface Guided Radiotherapy enables the patient to take a deep breath and thereby position the breast so that the heart is spared from any potential radiation damage. With conventional treatments, radiation has been shown to cause cardiac perfusion defects in 27% of patients after six months (Duke study, 104 patients, 2005), but, in a recent UNC Chapel Hill study 20 patients were treated with Align RT and 0% exhibited subsequent cardiac perfusion defects.

Norman Smith, CEO of Vision RT said:

“We are extremely proud of what Vision RT has achieved in the past 15 years. From a few engineers with an idea, we have become the global leader in surface guided radiotherapy, a field that is making treatments safer and more comfortable for patients and more economic and efficient for health systems. We are aiming for our technology to become the standard of care and to benefit every patient in every clinic around the world. With rapid clinical adoption and growth of our business in recent years, these are very exciting times for Vision RT.”

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