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A revolutionary, cost effective, ultra-compact proton therapy system for cancer treatment

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HIL PT System (A revolutionary, cost effective, ultra-compact proton therapy system for cancer treatment)

Reporting period: 2021-05-01 to 2022-04-30

Cancer is a global problem with 14.1 million new cases occurring annually and an expected increase of 68% by 2030. Ensuring effective and safe treatment remains a significant challenge for healthcare organisations. Studies have shown Proton Therapy (PT) to be effective in treating many types of tumours, including tumours of the prostate, brain, head and neck, central nervous system, lung, and gastrointestinal system as well as cancers that cannot be removed completely by surgery.

PT is the most advanced type of external-beam radiation therapy that uses protons at high energy to destroy cancer cells. It can be used alone or combined with other treatments e.g. radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, and/or immunotherapy. PT is routinely used for cancer treatment; however it is limited by the sheer size and expense of the systems. There are currently only 102 operational PT facilities in the world, addressing less than 5% of clinical demand.

HIL has developed an ultra-compact, high-performance system for Proton Therapy. HIL’s advanced particle accelerator and beamline technologies make PT widely accessible by offering highly cost-effective single-room solutions. During this complimentary blended finance project, HIL intends to develop and manufacture its pre-Beta system in Israel's first PT centre. In addition, the development of the Beta version of the system will be carried out, which will enable the company to launch its first sales and undertake additional crucial commercial activities, preparing the company for widespread market penetration.

The objectives are to develop key features of pre-Beta system in preparation for manufacturing and installation:
- Establishes a framework for project planning and monitoring risks and delays during project execution.
- Development of the system software
- Collaborate with SigmaPhi to have a full design of a 160MeV fixed beam to be used in the Alpha site
Project management & reporting: The project is coordinated by the PCB.
Periodic Progress Report (technical and financial) is prepared according to the Grant Agreement rules.
Risks are carefully monitored and mitigated.
In addition, IP generated during the project’s grant component is protected and internationalized.
Software development: Development of general system control software is performed.
This includes translation software for irradiation settings to machine settings, as well as a safety system.
Integration of protocols between systems is achieved, including sensors, such as laser and accelerator.
Examples of systems to be developed include Automation of Target Position and Automation of Beam Intensity.
UX/ UI design is ongoing.
Optimization and final design of 160 MeV fixed beamline:
The full design of a fixed beam of the protons to achieve clinical specifications was completed.
A design of the magnets has been done along with the power supplies and the cooling system by our partner SigmaPhi. In addition, HIL designed all other elements in the beamline (beam stops, monitoring devices, collimators)
Beamline Testing & Quality Control:
Thorough simulation testing of the magnetic beamline was performed.
Collaboration with IBA for implementation of pulsed beam dosimetry device, to be tested by HIL, is ongoing
Experimental work for testing critical elements of the beamline that determine the protons beam quality will be performed with a laser-based accelerator.
The HIL PT System, applies a cutting-edge patented approach to particle acceleration and beam delivery, combining nanotechnology with ultra-high-intensity lasers and advanced magnetics. It is a completely revolutionary ultra-compact concept as in relation to conventional Proton Therapy technology, a complete treatment room based on HIL’s technology (including building, SW, etc.) reduces weight 100-1,000-fold, cost by 2/3, footprint by 50% and volume by 75%. The total estimated costs are €8M and each PT system would become profitable to a hospital within 3-4 years.
HIL delivers for the first time, the only truly compact and economically feasible single-room PT facility.
HIL’s team is reviewing the control software designed for the PT system
HIL’s team in the Pre-Alpha Lab with a 2TW Laser-Proton acceleration and interaction chamber in fron
Testing lab for qualifying the system software control on the parts such as the laser system and opt