SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. -- Touro University President Bernard Lander recently announced that particle beam therapy for cancer, including proton beam and heavy carbon ions, is expected to be offered at the school's planned $1.2 billion health science research campus on Mare Island in Northern California. Currently, combined particle therapy is available only in Japan and Germany.

Touro plans to develop a Particle Therapy Center as part of this overall investment. Touro will be using integrated software systems and advanced equipment from Siemens Medical Solutions.

"This Center will be an important contribution to radiotherapy of cancer in the United States," said Dr. Lander, adding "Touro's goal is to save lives, consistent with our longstanding commitment to providing quality health care education and research while serving humanity."
The planned facility, which is expected to be the first of its kind west of the Mississippi, will utilize Siemens' latest technology. Siemens and Touro have signed a contract for project development, and are finalizing the design and enthusiastically moving forward.

The Center is being developed under an agreement between Touro University and the City of Vallejo, whereby the University will anchor a larger master planned University Village and Health Science Research Campus. The Campus is positioned at the center of the San Francisco Bay Area bio-science corridor. At 190 acres, the Campus is the last large parcel of land fronting on San Francisco Bay.

Presently, Touro University has four colleges on Mare Island emphasizing broad aspects of health education and medicine on a 44-acre campus.

"The new Center is expected to be a world-class facility with the latest green building designs and sustainable technology, in the heart of a bio-tech industry that advances the future of medicine," said Bruce Lang, West Coast land resources business practice manager for ARCADIS, the project's development manager.

"Siemens is pleased to be collaborating with Touro University in the fight against cancer in this country. The particle therapy solution proposed is subject to final FDA clearance upon completion. Siemens has made a major investment in particle therapy research and development and looks forward to working on this project in the Bay area," said Dennis Falkenstein, vice president of particle therapy solutions at Siemens Medical Solutions.

Touro University, which opened in 1998, is educating more than 1,400 students at colleges of osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, health sciences and education.

For more information on Touro University: www.tu.edu/indexca.php

For information on particle therapy: www.siemens.com/particletherapy

For information on ARCADIS: www.arcadis-us.com

More Industry Headlines