The Palo Alto-based medical device and software manufacturer, Varian Medical Systems has announced that the company has entered a definitive agreement to purchase a Seattle-based privately-owned medical devices company, Calypso Medical Technologies.
Calypso Medical also develops motion management software for radiotherapy & radio surgery and for tracking tumors in real-time. The acquisition is likely to be completed by October 2011.
The President of Varian Medical Systems, Timothy E Guertin stated that with the technology pioneered by Calypso, the company will be able to offer real-time tumor tracking tools to cancer treatment centers to enhance the precision of the treatment provided. The Calypso products will provide an edge to Varian’s existing motion management technology including the dynamic imaging and respiratory gating tools developed for radiosurgery. Once integrated, the products can be made available to a broader clinical community through Varian Medical’s sales and marketing channels throughout the world.
The GPS-enabled Calypso System integrates Beacon electromagnetic transponders and Body technology to improve prostate cancer treatments through continuous and accurate tracking of the target. Once the patient’s prostatic bed or prostate receives a transponder implant, it can be tracked with a 4D localization and tracking device allowing the radiotherapy / radiosurgery beams to be exclusively delivered to the targeted tumor.
An investigational device exception approval has been granted to Calypso Medical by the US Food and Drug Administration for the clinical study to evaluate lung cancer tumor tracking in real-time during delivery of radiation.
The President of Calypso Medical, Edward Vertatschitsch stated that the motion management technology is a critical component for cancer treatment since it allows for precise target of the cancer, thus helping save healthy adjacent tissue during the therapy.
Source: http://www.varian.com