The centre will be situated at Celtic Springs Business Park, Newport, and is due to be operational next year.
Senior management from Proton Partners International and a team from Philips, which has been appointed to deliver software and technology tools to all three of the centres planned for the UK, began work at the Newport site today.
Mike Moran, chief executive officer of Proton Partners International Ltd., said: “Today is a major milestone for our plans for the UK but also for cancer treatment.
“From now, our centres of treatment will begin to take shape and we are delighted get work underway at Newport. We are working very closely with the Welsh Government and the Wales Life Sciences Fund to create what will be a step change in cancer treatment.”
The Newport centre is the first of three Proton Beam Therapy centres which will be built by Proton Partners International in the UK. The other sites will be in Northumberland and London.
Proton Partners International Limited has appointed global partners to provide class-leading clinical equipment and innovative technology solutions for their UK centres.
IBA (Ion Beam Applications), the world’s leading provider of proton therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer, has been selected to install its single-room proton therapy system, Proteus®ONE.
Philips has been appointed to deliver software and technology tools including Philips' Pinnacle Treatment Planning which delivers an intuitive planning environment that simplifies workflow. Philips will also provide big bore CT scanners at each centre and a PET CT in the Newport centre.
About Proton Therapy
Proton beam therapy is a highly-targeted type of radiotherapy that can treat hard-to-reach cancers, such as spinal tumours (chordomas), with a lower risk of damaging the surrounding tissue and causing side effects.
About Proton Partners International Limited
Proton Partners International is a private limited company, registered in Wales. The company was formed following discussions between Professor Karol Sikora, former head of the World Health Organisation’s cancer programme, Professor Sir Chris Evans, the leading life sciences entrepreneur, and Neil Woodford, founding partner of Woodford Investment Management.
Professor Gordon McVie, Senior Consultant at the European Institute of Oncology, has been appointed chairman and Professor Karol Sikora is chief medical adviser to the company, alongside a range of renowned cancer and healthcare experts.