SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), the premier radiation oncology company, announced today the signing of a multi-year master research and collaboration agreement with Erasmus Medical Center (MC), a leading research center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and the largest of the eight university medical centers in the country. Accuray and Erasmus MC will partner on cutting-edge research in radiation oncology with the goal of advancing treatment technology and providing healthcare professionals with the most effective tools for patient care.
"Erasmus MC has a long history of collaborating with Accuray and we are pleased to continue our partnership to advance radiation oncology," said Professor Peter C. Levendag, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Radiation Oncology Department at Erasmus MC. "Our Center's extensive technical research and clinical experience with the CyberKnife System has helped us see and understand the many benefits that radiosurgery offers to cancer patients. We are pleased to reaffirm our commitment to working together to further validate the science of radiosurgery and clinical applications of the CyberKnife System."
Accuray has been working together with Erasmus MC on research initiatives since the Center installed its first CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System in 2004, making them the fourth site in the Europe India Middle East and Africa (EIMEA) region to install a CyberKnife System at that time. To date, Erasmus MC has treated more than 1,000 patients with the CyberKnife System, performed a substantial amount of clinical research on the use of the CyberKnife System, and authored more than 20 technical and clinical publications in peer-reviewed journals and several book chapters. The Center has used novel research methods to evaluate the performance of the CyberKnife System, including an assessment of the impact of intra-fraction patient motion on clinical tracking accuracy, clinical tracking accuracy of lung treatments using the Synchrony® Respiratory Tracking System, dose calculation accuracy assessments, and methods for reducing treatment time. Currently, the Center is evaluating hypothetical path sets and assessing the InTempo™ Adaptive Imaging System, which enhances the CyberKnife System's ability to continually track and correct for motion of the prostate during treatment.
"As one of the world's foremost academic oncology research centers, Erasmus MC is an important partner for us in advancing the use of the CyberKnife System," said Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D., Accuray president and chief executive officer. "Our collaboration will support the growing body of clinical evidence demonstrating the efficacy and benefits of the CyberKnife System and help us further expand, refine and customize cancer patient treatment. With the support of partners like Erasmus MC, Accuray is poised to lead the charge toward truly personalized radiation oncology."
In the last quarter, Accuray announced two additional research and collaboration agreements including a multi-year master research and collaboration agreement with the University of Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ), both luminary research institutions located in Heidelberg, Germany.
About Erasmus MC
Erasmus MC is the largest and most authoritative scientific University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Almost 13,000 staff members work within the core tasks of patient care, education, and scientific research on the continuous improvement and enforcement of individual patient care and social healthcare. They develop high-level knowledge, pass this on to future professionals, and apply it in everyday patient care. Over the next five years, Erasmus MC wants to grow into one of the best medical institutes in the world. Erasmus MC is part of the Dutch Federation of University Medical Centers (NFU): www.nfu.nl.
About Accuray
Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the premier radiation oncology company that develops, manufactures and sells personalized innovative treatment solutions that set the standard of care, with the aim of helping patients live longer, better lives. The Company's leading edge technologies – the CyberKnife and TomoTherapy Systems – are designed to deliver radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, image guided radiation therapy, and adaptive radiation therapy. To date 635 systems have been installed in leading hospitals around the world. For more information, please visit www.accuray.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements made in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate, but are not limited, to expansion of the Company's global presence and research partnerships, market acceptance, market growth, and the Company's leadership position in radiation oncology innovation. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including risks detailed from time to time under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's reports Form 10-Q for the first, second and third quarters of fiscal 2012. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made and are based on information available to the Company at the time those statements are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual performance or results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.
Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D.
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=81869
SOURCE Accuray Incorporated
Rebecca Phillips, Public Relations Manager, Accuray, +1-408-716-4773, rphillips@accuray.com; or Helen Shik, Schwartz MSL, +1-781-684-0770, Accuray@schwartzmsl.com
