Elekta, Philips expand imaging venture

Radiation oncology firm Elekta and Philips Healthcare will expand their joint program to develop an imaging treatment platform that merges radiation therapy and MRI technology in a single cancer treatment system.

The program will include a research consortium of radiation oncology centers and clinicians, the companies said. The goal is to combine precision radiation delivery with MRI into a single MRI-guided radiation therapy system for soft-tissue imaging during radiation therapy, and also to adapt treatment delivery in real-time for precise cancer treatments.

Working with University Medical Center Utrecht, the companies have built and tested a prototype system that integrates a linear accelerator with a 1.5-tesla MRI system. Early results have enabled the project to move to the next phase of development, according to the companies.