Commencement of initial SCDTL testing

RNS Number : 9344R

Advanced Oncotherapy PLC

02 July 2015

 

2 July 2015

ADVANCED ONCOTHERAPY PLC

("Advanced Oncotherapy" or the "Company")

Commencement of initial SCDTL testing

Completion of further key milestone in the development of the LIGHT System

Advanced Oncotherapy (AIM: AVO), the developer of next-generation proton therapy systems for cancer treatment, announces that the first tests have begun on the Side Coupled Drift Tube Linac ("SCDTL"), in line with the Company's expected timetable.

The SCDTL modules are being constructed in Italy by T.S.C. Srl ("TSC"). When combined, the four SCDTL modules used in the LIGHT system will accelerate protons from 5MeV to 37.5MeV. The SCDTLs are a key component in the company's next generation proton therapy system, and sit between the Radio Frequency Quadruple ("RFQ"), which first accelerates the protons to 5MeV, and the Coupled Cavity Linac ("CCL"), which accelerate protons from the SCDTL to the speeds needed to effectively treat radiosensitive tumours.

The news that TSC has commenced testing of the SCDTL at its facility in Fiumicino, near Rome, follows on from the successful completion of RF Power testing of the first CCL module in May and is in line with the timetable provided by the Company to shareholders in November 2014.

Commenting, Sanjeev Pandya, CEO of Advanced Oncotherapy, said: "The first SCDTL testing is another key step towards the successful delivery of our first LIGHT system and I am very pleased that we continue to develop the LIGHT system in line with the timetable that we outlined to investors last year and have reiterated recently. We remain on schedule for first patient treatment in 2017 and well-funded to deliver this to plan."

Advanced Oncotherapy Plc	www.avoplc.com
Sanjeev Pandya, CEO	Tel: [phone]
Nicolas Serandour, CFO
Westhouse Securities (Nomad & Joint Broker)
Antonio Bossi / David Coaten	Tel: [phone]
Beaufort Securities (Joint Broker)
Saif Janjua / Jon Levinson	Tel: [phone]
Walbrook PR (Financial PR & IR)	Tel: [phone] or [e-mail]
Paul McManus / Anna Dunphy	Mob: [phone] / Mob: [phone]

About Advanced Oncotherapy Plc www.avoplc.com

Advanced Oncotherapy's team based in Geneva focuses on the development of a proprietary proton accelerator called Linac Image Guided Hadron Technology (LIGHT). LIGHT accelerates protons to the energy levels achieved in legacy machines but in a unit that is a quarter of the size and between a quarter and a fifth of the cost. This compact configuration delivers proton beams in a way that facilitates a greater precision and electronic control which is not achievable with older technologies.

Advanced Oncotherapy is a provider of particle therapy with protons that harnesses the best in modern technology. As a result, Advanced Oncotherapy will offer healthcare providers affordable systems that will enable them to treat cancer with an innovative technology as well as better health outcomes and lower treatment related side effects.

The Company has signed a purchase agreement with Sinophi Healthcare Limited for one LIGHT proton therapy system to be installed in a hospital in China and has further Letters of Intent from other healthcare providers.

Advanced Oncotherapy continually monitors the market for any emerging improvements in delivering proton therapy and actively seeks working relationships with providers of these innovative technologies. Through these relationships, the Company will remain the prime provider of an innovative and cost-effective system for particle therapy with protons.

 

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