Advanced Oncotherapy PLC Technological update (4752D)

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RNS Number : 4752D

Advanced Oncotherapy PLC

10 October 2018

ADVANCED ONCOTHERAPY PLC

("Advanced Oncotherapy" or the "Company")

Technological update

52MeV beam generated

Advanced Oncotherapy (AIM: AVO), the developer of a next-generation proton therapy system for cancer treatment, is pleased to provide a comprehensive general technical update on the development of its LIGHT system following the recent announcement that the LIGHT system had achieved the key milestone of generating a beam with an energy level capable of treating superficial tumours.

LIGHT Accelerator Update

The Company is pleased to confirm the successful integration at its testing facility at CERN, Geneva, of the four sections of the LIGHT accelerator: the proton source, the Radiofrequency Quadrupole ("RFQ"), the four Side Coupled Drift Tube Linacs ("SCDTLs") and two of the high-energy accelerating structures, the Coupled Cavity Linacs ("CCLs"). The Company is also delighted to announce that the proton beam has now been accelerated through all these units at the design-anticipated energy of 52MeV, which represents about double the output energy referred to in the case study of 27 September 2018 technology milestone announcement.

Having reached this proton beam acceleration level, the development team is focussed on the relatively lower-execution risk activity of adding the remaining additional accelerating CCL modules which have the same designs as the ones already tested and operating. The integration of a total of a further 13 CCLs will lead to a proton acceleration of up to 230MeV, which is required for the effective proton therapy treatment of deep-seated tumours. As already highlighted by Prof. Ugo Amaldi, President of the TERA Foundation and member of Company's Medical advisory board on 28 December 2017, the CCL modules have already been successfully tested by the TERA Foundation and successfully accelerated protons.

The LIGHT system is designed to have improved clinical advantages due to the high beam quality and targeting which results in a more conformal dose and greater adjustability at source. Collectively, these features make the LIGHT system the ideal tool for making proton therapy systems more widely available, with a technology expected to be capable of providing improved outcomes and reduced treatment related side effects.

LIGHT Treatment System Update

Proton therapy centres must run efficiently to provide a superlative patient experience and throughput performance. To that end, the OIS is the key software driver for the team. As such, the Company is pleased to announce that RaySearch AB, a global leader in software solutions for radio and particle therapies, is also providing their new OIS "RayCare" to the Company's assembly site for integration, and to Harley Street to provide next-generation software tools for our clinical team. RayCare offers native integration with RayStation, providing highest efficiency, as well as offering managed workflows. With personalized medicine becoming one of the greatest current developments in the field today the RaySearch software system is the only system that enables personal adapted care on a daily basis, which is essential in proton therapy. This new strategic collaboration agreement with Raysearch complements the agreement already announced for the provision by Raysearch of the Treatment Planning System ("TPS") with the objective of further de-risking the development of the LIGHT system while optimizing its unique features.

Finally, meeting the challenge of cost and size in the treatment room, the Company has partnered with P-Cure to provide a compact solution including an advanced robotic treatment chair and a vertically tracking diagnostic quality CT scanner. The robotic treatment chair, bespoke CT scanner, image guidance system and control software are integrated and undergoing testing at the P-Cure factory in Tel-Aviv. Preparations are underway to receive the P-Cure system at our STFC assembly centre in 2019.

Harley Street update

Progress at 141/143 Harley Street site remains on track. The sub-structural work continues to progress well: deconstruction and shell build was completed by the end of August on schedule, and the build and fit-out being undertaken by Howard de Walden Estate, the site freeholder, has commenced. The next stage of constructions is steel framing, roofing and waterproofing works. The Company remains on schedule to create central London's first proton therapy centre with site work expected to conclude by the middle of next year to enable first patient treatment by the second half of 2020.

Assembly Site update

Work is progressing at Daresbury Laboratory to build and prepare the test facility ready for the installation and assembly of the full LIGHT system from later this year. Some of the components of the LIGHT system have already been delivered onsite. The Science and Technology Facilities Council ("STFC") and AVO are working closely to ensure that the building work is on track to allow the installation of the LIGHT system to start next month in order to be ready for full-energy testing next year.

A video of the LIGHT system, the infrastructure set-up designed for high-volume production and an update of the Harley Street site is available on our website (see: https://www.avoplc.com/Our-Technology/Overview-of-the-LIGHT-System).

Professor Susan Smith, Head of STFC's Daresbury Laboratory, said: "Accelerating protons at an energy sufficient to treat superficial tumors, and firing them successfully through each of the key accelerating modules, is a major achievement for any accelerator project. At STFC we are committed to developing accelerator technology and expertise to address the world's key challenges, as well as to help businesses innovate to the benefit of our society and our economy. As such, we are pleased to host the testing and assembly site of AVO and be associated with this groundbreaking physics and medical project."

Commenting, Nicolas Sérandour, CEO of Advanced Oncotherapy, said: "We are delighted to have successfully achieved a further acceleration of the proton beam through the four sections of the LIGHT system and have accordingly validated the designs of the all the accelerating structures. Having fully integrated all key components of the LIGHT system, we have already achieved the most challenging aspect of constructing a new linear accelerator. Since the remaining high-speed accelerating modules (CCLs) are of the same design to those already successfully tested, the integration of these remaining CCLs is now a relatively simple process. We are therefore confidesnt that the integration of further CCL modules will conform to our expectations. Discussions with potential customers are now multiplying and we expect them to accelerate as we are getting closer to the next phases of our journey. We look forward to having all our accelerating units manufactured to generate a beam at full energy by the middle of next year and start the installation of the system in Harley Street when the building is ready by mid next year."

 
  Advanced Oncotherapy Plc                                       www.avoplc.com 
  Dr. Michael Sinclair, Executive                         Tel: [phone] 
   Chairman 
  Nicolas Serandour, CEO 
 
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   Joint Broker) 
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About Advanced Oncotherapy Plc www.avoplc.com

Advanced Oncotherapy is a provider of particle therapy in the treatment of cancer, which harnesses the very best in modern technology. Advanced Oncotherapy's R&D team, ADAM, in Geneva, focuses on the development of a proprietary proton accelerator - LIGHT (Linac Image Guided Hadron Technology). LIGHT accelerates protons to the energy levels achieved in legacy machines but in a compact and truly modular unit, offering significant cost advantages. LIGHT also delivers proton beams in a way that facilitates greater precision and electronic control, which are not achievable with currently available alternative technologies.

Advanced Oncotherapy will offer healthcare providers affordable systems that will enable them to treat cancer with an innovative technology, offering better health outcomes and lower treatment related side effects.

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

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October 10, 2018 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)