Philadelphia Business Journal -- A 220-ton cyclotron arrived Tuesday morning from Belgium at the University of Pennsylvania in West Philadelphia. The particle accelerator will be part of the Roberts Proton Therapy Center being built for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
The cyclotron accelerates atoms to near light speeds to create a healing beam of energy that can then be precisely targeted to kill tumors without harming nearby healthy tissue or organs.
Penn officials said the Roberts Proton Therapy Center, scheduled to be completed next summer, will be the largest of its kind in the world and the only cancer treatment center to fully integrate conventional radiology treatment and proton beam therapy.
Pediatric cancers will also be treated at the center under the University of Pennsylvania Health System association with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In addition, Penn has established a relationship with Walter Reed Medical Center that will make the proton therapy technology available to treat U.S. military personnel and veterans.
The proton therapy center will be part of the $232 million Raymond and Ruth Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine Penn is building at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard.
