UK-based Proton Partners International has secured a £450,000 investment from regional growth fund programme, Let’s Grow North East, to build its Northumberland cancer centre in North East England.
The investment will be used by Proton Partners to develop its initial cancer treatment centre in England. Proton Partners is the first company to bring proton beam therapy to the UK.
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Proton Partners International CEO Mike Moran said: “The demand for proton beam therapy is on the rise, however patients who currently require this treatment must travel abroad or endure alternative treatment regimes.
“There is a pressing need to bring this type of treatment to the UK as studies have shown that at least 10% of patients who receive traditional radiotherapy would be treated more effectively with protons.”
Located at the Earth Balance wellness site in Bomarsund, Northumberland, the new facility is expected to be operational by early next year.
The Northumberland cancer centre is the second Proton Partners project to be built in the UK, the first being in Newport, Wales, and the third in West London.
Moran added: “Proton Partners are in the process of building three centres across the country, and our Northumberland centre will make proton beam therapy accessible to patients from the North of England and Scotland.”
Similar to the two other centres, the new cancer facility will also have the capacity to treat up to 500 patients every year, and will provide imaging, chemotherapy and traditional radiotherapy.
The three Proton Partners cancer centres will be responsible for treating NHS patients, medically-insured private patients and self-paying patients.
