New Two-Room Solution From IBA Will Make Proton Therapy Truly Accessible for More Cancer Patients

LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium--(Business Wire)--
The Proteus Nano - a smaller, lower-cost alternative to traditional Proton
Therapy centers for cancer treatment - has been developed by IBA (Ion Beam
Applications S.A.). Oncology professionals can learn more about the Proteus Nano
at the IBA booth (#2400) at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for
Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), Nov. 1-5, 2009, at McCormick Place West in Chicago,
Ill. For additional information on the Proteus Nano, visit
www.iba-proteus-nano.com.

Recently developed Proton Therapy centers have been very large freestanding
facilities - at least two stories aboveground with footprints as large as
100,000 square feet. A project this comprehensive is prohibitive for many
institutions. The Proteus Nano requires a much smaller footprint to house the
center; is available at the lowest acquisition cost per room in the industry;
and provides a faster, less capital-intensive way to add Proton Therapy to an
existing medical facility.

This two-room Proton Therapy solution is a new way to make this leading-edge
cancer treatment available to many more people worldwide. Proton Therapy uses
highly accelerated proton beams to target tumors, releasing energy inside the
tumor and killing cancer cells. The abrupt falloff of proton energy outside the
targeted area ensures little to no radiation travels beyond the tumor into
healthy tissues, helping to avoid treatment side effects.

Smaller Footprint and Lowest Acquisition Cost

The unique design of Proteus Nano results in a smaller footprint. Utilizing
IBA`s innovative Vbeam technology, Proteus Nano optimizes the space, minimizing
the land required and lowering the cost. This new two-room configuration makes
Proton Therapy truly accessible today, more than ever.

With the Proteus Nano and IBA`s comprehensive startup support services,
organizations can anticipate lower development and maintenance costs, with
quicker installation and ramp-up time. IBA`s MaxiPRO financing includes the
design of the center, plus installation, operation and maintenance of the
equipment. Facilities make no payment until patient revenues begin.

"IBA is so committed to making this life-saving technology available to patients
that it is investing in market development by enabling customers to offer Proton
Therapy via a rental program where rent payments are aligned with patient
revenues," says Jean-Marc Andral, President, IBA Advanced Radiotherapy
Solutions.

Proven Technology

IBA has developed and equipped the majority of the clinically operational Proton
Therapy facilities in the world. The Proteus Nano, provides all the
dependability and flexibility of IBA`s market-leading technology in a smaller
footprint and at a significantly lower cost.

IBA`s Vbeam technology locates the proton accelerator (cyclotron) on a lower
level, beneath the two treatment rooms. Protons are accelerated and transported
vertically up to the treatment level, then directed horizontally into the
treatment rooms.

"The Proteus Nano can be a valuable addition for a number of medical groups,
from large academic medical centers to established urban hospitals to smaller
community-based hospitals with the normal complement of radiotherapy department
resources in close proximity," continues Andral. "Having a lower-cost, more
compact option for cancer care can provide patients with increased access to
leading-edge Proton Therapy - right in their own communities. By reducing the
scale and complexity of these projects, we anticipate patients will soon travel
shorter distances to receive this potentially life-saving treatment."

ABOUT PROTON THERAPY

Proton Therapy cancer treatment uses energized protons to precisely target
tumors and destroy malignant cells. A cyclotron accelerates protons to an
extremely high speed, then generates a controlled beam that is directed by
magnetic fields through a nozzle to the targeted tumor, releasing a dose of
protons inside the tumor that kills cancer cells with minimal impact on
surrounding healthy tissues. This conformal dose delivery is particularly
important in pediatric cases, since avoiding even moderate amounts of radiation
to normal tissues in children is of critical importance in preventing later
cognitive impairments and radiation-induced tumors.

ABOUT IBA

Founded in 1986 in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, IBA is primarily active in the
medical industry. It develops and markets state-of-the-art equipment and
radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and treatment. In addition, it uses
the scientific expertise thus gained to provide electron accelerators for
industrial sterilization and ionization. Listed on the pan-European stock
exchange Euronext, IBA is included in the BEL Mid Index (IBA: Reuters IBAB.BR
and Bloomberg IBAB.BB). Web site: www.iba-protontherapy.com.

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Media Contact:
Andy Jacobson, 612-305-6205
andy.jacobson@collemcvoy.com
or
IBA Contact:
Stephen Sledge, 904-502-4032
stephen.sledge@iba-group.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009