Landmark Patents Issued for MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy

US and European patents have been issued for innovative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided radiation therapy technology.

The core technology of ViewRay, Inc. (Cleveland, OH, USA), a unique combination of MRI and radiotherapy technologies, has been issued landmark patents in the United States and Europe. ViewRay, a privately held medical device company, holds the exclusive worldwide license for the technology from the University of Florida (UF; Gainesville, USA). The cancer treatment technology was invented by company founder James F. Dempsey, PhD, while he was a member of the radiation oncology faculty at the University of Florida.

The patented technology is key to ViewRay's new radiation therapy system, which is being designed to capture soft-tissue images continuously during treatment. "The technology is intended to enable clinicians to see precisely where the radiation is being delivered, as it's being delivered," said Dempsey, now ViewRay's chief scientific officer. "Our goal is to allow clinicians to know, to control, and to optimize the dose to the patient." Broadly covering both the medical device and the method of implementation, the patents acknowledge the unique combination of simultaneous MRI and radioisotope irradiation.

The University of Florida encouraged Dr. Dempsey to bring his invention to the marketplace, where it could begin to benefit cancer patients, and ViewRay was formed. The ViewRay system, now in the late stages of development, is currently available only as a not-for-human use research system. The company is working to secure FDA clearance for commercial distribution of the system for clinical use. "These are landmark patents," said David L. Day, director of the University of Florida Office of Technology Licensing. "We believe they are important pieces of intellectual property that can provide significant competitive advantages in the radiation therapy industry."

ViewRay is a medical device company developing advanced radiation therapy technology for the treatment of cancer. Using MRI-guided radiotherapy, the ViewRay system is being designed to provide continuous soft-tissue imaging during treatment.

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