




Healthcare Industry News: radiosurgery
News Release - December 16, 2010
Calypso Medical and Elekta Corporation Enter into Master Development Agreement for Radiation Therapy Cancer Treatment
Integrated technology solution may lead to improved accuracy of radiotherapy treatmentsSEATTLE & STOCKHOLM--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)-- Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization technology used for the precise tracking of tumors, and Elekta, a leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer, today announced a master development agreement to jointly develop products integrating the Calypso® System with Elekta’s radiotherapy treatment technologies.
“Integrating the Calypso System into Elekta’s world-class radiotherapy technologies may facilitate the development of innovative treatment modalities for treating prostate cancer along with more problematic radiation therapy targets, such as the pancreas and lung,” said Edward Vertatschitsch, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Calypso Medical. “Near term development efforts include creating connectivity between the linear accelerator and the Calypso System for patient positioning during radiation delivery, which automates the process of re-positioning the treatment couch when the tumor moves out of a prescribed motion threshold. This agreement will also provide the framework for the potential development of real-time automated correction, a future capability* with feasibility work already in progress at both companies, which enables motion management with the tumor target based on real-time tracking data provided by the Calypso System.”
“Clinicians around the world, including The Royal Marsden in London, the world’s first medical center dedicated to cancer treatment, are utilizing the Calypso System with our linear accelerators to optimize treatment for prostate cancer patients,” said Jill Stief, Director, Product Management, Oncology Systems at Elekta. “Effectively accounting for tumor motion may lead to improved treatment outcomes and patient quality-of-life.”
The Calypso System is complementary to Elekta’s state-of-the-art technology for delivering intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), including Elekta Synergy and Precise linear accelerators. As one of the world’s leading suppliers of linear accelerators and oncology software solutions, Elekta is committed to providing clinicians with open-systems connectivity to integrate third-party technologies. “In addition to Elekta's existing initiatives for localization and motion management, this agreement will allow us to leverage synergies in our respective technologies,” added Stief.
“Adapting treatment for tumor motion is vitally important in maximizing the therapeutic value of radiotherapy while minimizing side effects,” said Seth Rosenthal, M.D., a radiation oncologist at Radiological Associates of Sacramento in Sacramento, Calif. “The complementary nature of Calypso’s real-time tracking technology and Elekta’s highly efficient linear accelerator has improved our ability to detect prostate motion and more accurately deliver radiation.”
The goal of external beam radiation therapy is to focus the radiation beam on the tumor while avoiding the irradiation of surrounding healthy tissue. However, internal organ motion may cause the radiation to miss its intended target. The Calypso System, with its GPS for the Body® technology, utilizes miniature implanted Beacon® transponders to provide precise, continuous information on the location of the tumor in real-time during external beam radiation therapy. In contrast to other tumor targeting solutions, the Calypso System provides tumor position information objectively and without ionizing radiation, thereby enabling an increase in the radiation delivered to the tumor while reducing radiation misapplied to normal tissue. The Calypso System is installed in more than 100 leading medical centers worldwide.
A May 2010 study published in Urology, “Assessing the Impact of Margin Reduction (AIM),” demonstrated that patients whose radiation delivery was guided by the Calypso System experienced a significant decrease in the side effects compared to patients whose radiation treatment did not include Calypso.
About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care.
Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives, making the future possible.
Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 5,000 hospitals globally, and every day more than 100,000 patients receive diagnosis, treatment or follow-up with the help of a solution from the Elekta Group.
Elekta employs around 2,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. For more information about Elekta, please visit www.elekta.com.
About Calypso Medical
Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc. is a Seattle-based, privately held medical device company. The Company’s proprietary tumor localization system utilizes miniaturized implanted devices (Beacon electromagnetic transponders) to continuously, accurately and objectively track the location of tumors for improved accuracy and management of radiation therapy delivery. The technology is designed for body-wide cancers commonly treated with radiation therapy. The products have received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance and the European Union CE mark for use in the prostate and post-operative prostatic bed. The Calypso System is the only commercially available real-time tracking system for radiation therapy shown to improve patient outcomes for prostate cancer. The Company has strategic relationships with Varian Medical Systems, Siemens Healthcare, Elekta Corporation and Philips Medical. Additional information can be found at www.calypsomedical.com
* This technology is a concept device under development and not available for sale.
Source: Calypso Medical Technologies
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