Competition for developers of cancer treatment methods

Varian Start-Up Challenge

Press Service of the Skolkovo FoundationThe initiator of the Varian Start-Up Challenge competition for Russian high-tech start-up projects focused on the development of effective technological solutions in the field of radiation therapy and other cancer treatment methods was Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (USA), a leader in the production of radiation therapy equipment, and its Russian partner, the Skolkovo Foundation.

Already this summer, the winners of the competition will be considered as potential suppliers of high-tech technologies for Varian and will receive up to 100 thousand dollars to continue their R&D projects. They will also be able to create their own startups with the support of the Foundation for Infrastructure and Educational Programs (Rusnano) for cooperation opportunities with Varian.

According to project coordinator Scott Johnson, Varian sees potential in the sector of technological developments in the field of radiation technologies and is ready to cooperate with Russian developers and manufacturers: "Russia has become the first country in the world to send a man into space, and this suggests that the country has an extensive, but so far unused technological base. We want to get a focused view of Russian technology developers on the needs in the field of radiation therapy, which as a result should benefit cancer patients all over the world."

By announcing the Varian Start-Up Challenge, the company plans not only to take part in the discussion, choosing the best solutions together with representatives of Skolkovo and independent experts and encouraging their developers (the prize fund is $50,000), but also to become a buyer of these solutions in the future by signing cooperation contracts with the winners. Thus, the ultimate goal is the integration of Russian companies into a global network of developers of technological solutions for the fight against cancer.

Not only legal entities, but also individuals will be able to apply for participation in the competition.

"We rely on startups and individual developers who concentrate their efforts on high-tech research, and we are ready to invest in the winners of the competition through our infrastructure centers. The Foundation also acted as a partner of the competition – the winners can count on investments of $50,000 or more from infrastructure centers created by the Foundation," said Ruslan Titov, Deputy Managing Director of the Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs (Rusnano).

"This project is unique both for Skolkovo and for Russian business in general. In November 2012, we have already started the first stage of cooperation with Varian, aimed at integrating Russian manufacturers into Varian's global supply chain, and now we are at the stage of considering 13 suppliers who presented their capabilities at the conference. We are confident in the potential of Russian specialists in the R&D sector in the field of radiation technologies and hope that the inclusion of Russian technology startups in the practical plane of solving global Varian tasks will bring them to a fundamentally different level of work," said Denis Kovalevich, Executive Director of the Nuclear Technology Cluster of the Skolkovo Foundation.

Leading Varian specialists have identified five key research areas for which the competition will be held:

1. new solutions for planning systems in radiotherapy, including the issues of determining the biological dose;
2. new technologies in brachytherapy (including electronic brachytherapy and applicators);
3. technologies for detecting and contouring targets and risk organs, compensating for day-to-day deformations in images obtained as a result of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI);
4. solutions for the creation of compact and cheap proton accelerators for local applications in therapy;
5. proposals for the development of new target materials and structures (including cooling systems) for the conversion of electron beams into megavolt X-ray beams.

The proposals received during the competition will be evaluated by a trilateral commission, which will include representatives of Varian, the Skolkovo Foundation, as well as independent experts. "Varian is an international leader in the field of radiation therapy with centers of excellence all over the world," says Dow Wilson, Chief executive Officer of Varian, "and I think that the involvement of Russian technology start–ups in cooperation will help us to significantly advance in technologies for the treatment of cancer patients worldwide."

Details are available on the contest page.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru17.02.2014