SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 30, 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 the University of Heidelberg, a luminary research institution located in Heidelberg, Germany that contributes to the city's top international position in therapy, research and science. Accuray and the University of Heidelberg will collaborate on cutting-edge research in radiation oncology to advance treatment technology and provide health care professionals with the most advanced tools for treating patients.
A longstanding research collaboration with the University of Heidelberg has been in existence surrounding TomoTherapy technology, which included exploration of new treatment options with helical TomoTherapy and associated journal publications about advanced use of this expanded application. The University of Heidelberg was the first TomoTherapy installation in Germany in 2006. A second TomoTherapy System was installed in 2010. Together these systems – a TomoHD and a TomoTherapy Hi-Art – treat approximately 700 patients per year, representing 70 percent of the approximately 1,000 patients treated by intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) at the hospital each year, and 20 percent of the approximately 3,500 patients treated by their Radiation Oncology department each year.
"We are pleased to be partnering with Accuray to advance cancer care," said Prof. Dr. Dr. Jurgen Debus, Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Heidelberg. "We have a long history using TomoTherapy technologies and have seen the benefits they offer cancer patients, so we are eager to explore further scientific advancements together."
In addition to its role in advancing radiation oncology and patient care, this master research and collaboration agreement bears particular significance for Accuray as it represents an opportunity for expanded collaboration captured as a result of Siemens' exit from the radiation therapy business. Siemens has a longstanding collaboration arrangement with University of Heidelberg for both radiology and therapeutic radiation oncology research. With Siemens' exit from the linear accelerator business, as announced within the company's November 10, 2011 press release, the University of Heidelberg will continue to collaborate with Siemens on imaging research, while Accuray will now serve as a therapeutic radiation oncology research partner.
"We are extremely pleased to be entering into this important research and collaboration agreement with the University of Heidelberg, as we work together to explore new paradigms in radiation oncology for the betterment of patient care," said Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D., Accuray president and chief executive officer. "As the premier radiation oncology company with market-leading technologies for image-guided IMRT and radiosurgery, we believe partnerships such as this can make huge inroads in advancing treatment technologies and improving patient care."
About Heidelberg University Hospital
Heidelberg University Hospital is among the largest and most renowned medical centers in Germany. The Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University ranges among the internationally relevant biomedical research institutes in Europe. The common goal is to develop new therapies and to apply them rapidly for the benefit of the patient. With about 10,000 employees, training and qualification is an important issue. Every year, around 550,000 patients are treated on an inpatient or outpatient basis in more than 50 clinics and departments with 2,000 beds. Currently, about 3,600 future physicians are studying in Heidelberg; the reform Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale (HeiCuMed) is one of the top medical training programs in Germany.
www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de
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, more than 300,000 patients worldwide have been treated using the Company's technologies and more than 616 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 future research and collaboration with the University of Heidelberg and the potential impact of Siemens' exit from the radiation therapy business. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including but not limited to potential development, commercialization and sales of our products, and other risks detailed from time to time under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2011 filed on September 19, 2011, and in reports on Form 10-Q for the first and second 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.
SOURCE Accuray Incorporated
Rebecca Phillips, Public Relations Manager of Accuray, +1-408-716-4773, rphillips@accuray.com; or Nadine Gottschling of Edelman, +49 69 756199-76, nadine.gottschling@edelman.com, for Accuray
