UCLA Health System - Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center to Acquire ViewRay Radiation Therapy Research System

CLEVELAND, Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health System and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) will soon become the third oncology research center in the world to acquire a radiotherapy system from ViewRay™, Inc., a privately held medical device company. ViewRay's new research radiation therapy system is being developed to feature a patented combination of radiotherapy delivery and simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Nearly two-thirds of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy during their illness. The ViewRay system is being designed to provide continuous soft-tissue MR imaging during treatment so that clinicians can see where the radiation is being delivered, as it's being delivered. The ViewRay system will enable researchers at UCLA "to continue to meet our mission of fostering patient-centered care while pursuing better treatments and cures for cancer," said Michael Steinberg, MD, chair of the UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology and director of clinical affairs at JCCC.

One of the largest comprehensive cancer centers in the United States, JCCC has an international reputation for developing new cancer therapies, providing the best in experimental and traditional treatments. "JCCC's radiation oncologists are highly regarded as both researchers and clinicians," said ViewRay President and CEO Gregory M. Ayers, MD, PhD. "Their expertise will be invaluable as we introduce real-time MRI capabilities into the radiation oncology community."

JCCC joins ViewRay research partners at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center in Madison, Wisconsin, and the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, where the first ViewRay research system is currently being installed. Pending 510(k) premarket notification review with the U.S. FDA, the ViewRay system is currently available only as a non–human use research system.

About ViewRay

ViewRay, Inc., of Cleveland, Ohio, is a privately held medical device company developing advanced radiation therapy technology for the treatment of cancer. The ViewRay system is being designed to provide continuous soft-tissue imaging during treatment, using MRI-guided radiotherapy, so that clinicians will be able to see where the actual radiation dose is being delivered and adapt to changes in the patient's anatomy. For more information, visit http://www.viewray.com.

About the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has more than 240 researchers and clinicians engaged in disease research, prevention, detection, control, treatment and education. One of the nation's largest comprehensive cancer centers, JCCC is dedicated to promoting research and translating basic science into leading-edge clinical studies. In July 2011, JCCC was named among the top 10 cancer centers nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, a ranking it has held for 11 of the last 12 years. For more information, visit http://www.cancer.ucla.edu.

ViewRay is a trademark of ViewRay, Inc.

ViewRay acknowledges the contribution of the State of Ohio, Department of Development and Third Frontier Commission, which provided funding in support of the MRI Technology Enabling Expansion of MRI into Radiotherapy Guidance Project.

SOURCE ViewRay Incorporated