TROISDORF / GERMANY, March 9, 2017 – North-Rhine Westphalian minister for the economy Mr. Garrelt Duin today awarded Varian Medical Systems Particle Therapy GmbH research funds amounting to about 10 million Euros. The funding will be used for the further development of proton therapy, the most targeted form of radiation therapy for treating cancer and other indications.
Proton therapy provides a highly targeted treatment for cancer patients and offers specific advantages for paediatric patients. This advanced non-invasive therapy helps to reduce side effects and is a major step forward in the fight against cancer worldwide.
The funding comes from the European Regional Development Fund (EFRD/EFRE). The investment will be used to make the technology accessible to a larger group of patients around the globe.
"This is a good day for North Rhine-Westphalia." states minister Duin during his visit to Varian in Troisdorf. "In addition to significantly improving the treatment options for tumours, this funding is a great opportunity for cooperation between science and industry in the high-tech location of North-Rhine Westphalia. Varian will help equip the global health market from here." During the visit, Minister Duin saw demonstrations of Varian's product range and chatted with employees. In Troisdorf, 300 of Varian's 6,400-strong global workforce are employed.
"Through these research and development projects we will cooperate with universities, colleges and partner companies. Using the concept of 'Open-Innovation' we thus want to lay the foundations for the development of ground-breaking technologies and contribute to the improvement of patient care," emphasizes Dr. Wolfgang Kaissl, managing director of Varian Particle Therapy in Germany.
For Varian PT, the realization of these projects is an important step for the long-term expansion of the Troisdorf site. "With this project we once again emphasize the importance that the site in Troisdorf has for our global operating company," says Dr. Moataz Karmalawy, global general manager of Varian Particle Therapy. "We therefore highly appreciate the state government's emphasis on innovation and technological breakthroughs."
About Varian Medical Systems
Varian Medical Systems focuses energy on saving lives and is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating and managing cancer. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Varian employs approximately 6,400 people at sites around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com and follow @VarianMedSys on Twitter.
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