The Future of Proton Therapy Begins Here: McLaren Healthcare and Leo Cancer Care Celebrate Next Milestone

Final preparations are underway for the first of Leo Cancer Care’s groundbreaking upright radiation therapy treatment systems installed within McLaren Health Care.

Leo’s CEO Stephen Towe described the installation as a “huge leap forward” in the upright cancer care journey and a major step towards a “more human way to deliver radiation therapy.”

The installation at the McLaren Proton Therapy Center in Flint, Michigan, also highlights the versatility, scale, and cost-effectiveness of Leo’s Marie upright patient positioning technology, which also incorporates a CT imaging system.

Marie has a significantly smaller footprint than conventional delivery systems and additionally brings a new dimension to cancer treatment by keeping the radiation beam fixed and slowly rotating the patient while seated in an upright position.

When Leo Cancer Care and McLaren signed a landmark agreement in 2022 for two upright units in the center, it enabled the healthcare provider to divide its original gantry room into two treatment rooms.

The first of two treatment rooms is prepared for verification and validation and working towards the next milestone of FDA 510k application preparation.

The system, which is named after double Nobel laureate and radioactivity research pioneer Marie Curie, is inspired by global research that suggests human organs remain in a more natural position as patients undergo treatment, supporting efficient targeting of radiation treatment delivery.

Towe said: “It is a breathtaking sight, seeing our Marie solution installed into its final destination, placed in front of a fixed proton beam at McLaren’s proton center.

“This is a major step for Leo and McLaren, which will likely become the first provider in the world to routinely deliver proton therapy to patients in a clinical setting with Leo Cancer Care’s upright treatment technology.”

In September of 2024, the Leo Cancer Care team visited the center to see the system placed in front of the beam and captured the reaction from key members of the team involved.

Watch all the videos from McLaren Proton Therapy Center

*Leo Cancer Care’s Marie Solution is not currently available for clinical use