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UHN’s Techna Institute set to co-develop state-of-the-art MR image-guided radiation therapy.
Posted On: December 07, 2016
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Research and future clinical applications of the new MR-linac will be overseen by Dr. Jaffray (L), Head of Medical Physics and Director of Techna; and Dr. Liu (R), Chief of the Radiation Medicine Program.
PM Cancer Centre and the Odense University Hospital in Denmark, have each ordered a high-field Magnetic Resonance-supported linear accelerator (MR-linac) from Elekta (EKTA-B.ST).
Elekta’s MR-linac is the next-generation innovation for treatment of cancer patients using radiotherapy. Currently, the technology is a work in progress and has not yet been released or received regulatory approval for clinical use.
Dr. Fei-Fei Liu, Chief of the Radiation Medicine Program, and Dr. David Jaffray, Head of Medical Physics and Director of Techna, at PM Cancer Centre are enthusiastic. “The program sees the immense potential that MR-supported radiation therapy has to improve the quality of radiation therapy by accurately identifying the spatial location of the tumour and surrounding tissues at the time of delivery. We will have the potential to adjust the treatment plan and personalize care,” says Dr. Liu.
“The strength of the magnetic field and the highly integrated delivery system are critical to capitalizing on the system’s MR imaging capabilities. We look forward to working with Elekta on advancing the medical physics and clinical workflows that this exciting new technology brings to the table,” says Dr. Jaffray.
Dr. Richard Hausmann, Elekta’s President and CEO, says: “We are delighted with the orders from PM Cancer Centre and Odense University Hospital. Two world-class cancer centers have chosen to team up with Elekta to further develop the new groundbreaking clinical treatment possibilities that this exciting technology will deliver. MRlinac has the potential to fundamentally improve the way patients are treated with radiation. Doctors can see exactly what they are treating, even if the affected organs are moving.”
Elekta’s MR-linac integrates an ultramodern radiotherapy system and a high-field 1.5T MRI scanner from technology partner Philips with sophisticated software that enables clinicians to capture diagnostic quality images of tumours and surrounding tissue immediately before and during radiation delivery. It is hoped that in the future this will also allow physicians to rapidly assess the radiation treatment, which offers a responsive intervention approach. Elekta expects to receive regulatory clearance (CE mark) for its MR-linac system in the second half of 2017, at which time this novel radiation therapy technology will become available to treat patients.
Elekta’s MR-linac is the next-generation innovation for treatment of cancer patients using radiotherapy. Currently, the technology is a work in progress and has not yet been released or received regulatory approval for clinical use.
Dr. Fei-Fei Liu, Chief of the Radiation Medicine Program, and Dr. David Jaffray, Head of Medical Physics and Director of Techna, at PM Cancer Centre are enthusiastic. “The program sees the immense potential that MR-supported radiation therapy has to improve the quality of radiation therapy by accurately identifying the spatial location of the tumour and surrounding tissues at the time of delivery. We will have the potential to adjust the treatment plan and personalize care,” says Dr. Liu.
“The strength of the magnetic field and the highly integrated delivery system are critical to capitalizing on the system’s MR imaging capabilities. We look forward to working with Elekta on advancing the medical physics and clinical workflows that this exciting new technology brings to the table,” says Dr. Jaffray.
Dr. Richard Hausmann, Elekta’s President and CEO, says: “We are delighted with the orders from PM Cancer Centre and Odense University Hospital. Two world-class cancer centers have chosen to team up with Elekta to further develop the new groundbreaking clinical treatment possibilities that this exciting technology will deliver. MRlinac has the potential to fundamentally improve the way patients are treated with radiation. Doctors can see exactly what they are treating, even if the affected organs are moving.”
Elekta’s MR-linac integrates an ultramodern radiotherapy system and a high-field 1.5T MRI scanner from technology partner Philips with sophisticated software that enables clinicians to capture diagnostic quality images of tumours and surrounding tissue immediately before and during radiation delivery. It is hoped that in the future this will also allow physicians to rapidly assess the radiation treatment, which offers a responsive intervention approach. Elekta expects to receive regulatory clearance (CE mark) for its MR-linac system in the second half of 2017, at which time this novel radiation therapy technology will become available to treat patients.