Varian backs Oncora, launches Ethos radiotherapy device

September 16, 2019 By Sean Whooley Leave a Comment

Varian Medical (NYSE:VAR) said last week that it invested an unspecified amount in Oncora Medical and launched its Ethos artificial intelligence radiotherapy device.

Philadelphia-based Oncora makes software used to plan radiotherapy procedures. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Varian said the partnership with Oncora is aimed at accelerating its software development for radiation oncology.

“We envision a world where all patients have access to the highest quality cancer care regardless of their location,” oncology software solutions SVP Corey Zankowski said in prepared remarks. “Oncora Medical’s ability to aggregate vast amounts of patient data is designed to empower oncologists with a decision support tool to achieve the goal of elevating the standard of care across the country.”

“Oncora’s mission is to improve outcomes for cancer patients by developing intuitive software tools to better collect and learn from real world data,” added Oncora co-founder & CEO David Lindsay. “We look forward to partnering with Varian to develop and deploy innovative new tools in the fight against cancer.”

Varian yesterday revealed the launch of the Ethos AI-driven solution, which is designed adapt the therapy as tumor cell composition and location changes during treatment.

“Every patient deserves access to the best and most personalized cancer care,” oncology systems president Chris Toth said in prepared remarks. “Adaptive therapy is the future of personalized radiation therapy. Beginning with IMRT we were able to shape dose with more fidelity, and then image-guided radiation therapy allowed us to target with more precision. Ethos therapy, powered by AI, will allow us to adapt and personalize dose to every patient, every day in a typical treatment time slot. This is a transformational moment for cancer care.”

“Ethos therapy will enable our physicians to better visualize the changes in a patient’s anatomy and quickly adapt the therapy accordingly to help provide better treatments to patients,” added Dr. Poul Geertsen, of the Herley & Gentofte Hospital in Hellerup, Denmark. “We have already delivered the first Ethos therapy treatment and our clinical staff was impressed by the capabilities and the ability to deliver this advanced treatment in a typical timeslot.”

Shares of VAR were down -1.6% at $115.52 per share in late-morning trading today.

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