HIL Applied Medical Launches Next-Generation Accelerators for Proton-Beam Cancer Therapy Crowdfunding Campaign on OurCrowd

OurCrowd has posted a new campaign for HIL Applied Medical,  a breakthrough new class of ultra-compact, high-performance accelerators proton beam therapy technology for cancer treatment based on innovative nano-engineering. Jerusalem-headquartered  HIL Applied Medical, Ltd. is a privately held company funded by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel’s Office of the Chief Scientist and private investors. According the company’s website, “We apply a patented laser-based, nanotech-enabled approach to particle acceleration – paving the way for truly cost-effective single-room proton therapy systems.”  HIL Applied Medical, Ltd. currently has a working proof-of-concept setup: “The company successfully demonstrated proton acceleration to clinical energies, and is working towards a full-scale working model in the lab. HIL’s approach leads to proton energies that are consistently 10-15 times above those achieved with other investigational methods for laser-based acceleration.”

OurCrowd outlined four reasons why they’re excited about investing in HIL:

1.  “Making proton therapy affordable to everyone: Proton therapy is a form of radiotherapy that can treat a greater variety of tumors than traditional methods, with 2-6 times less damage to healthy tissue. Despite its advantages, proton therapy has not taken off due to the astronomical price and space needed to build a proton therapy center ($150M-$250M, and the space of a football stadium to build a traditional center). These price and space requirements stem from expensive traditional particle acceleration technology and extensive protective concrete shielding. 95% of patients eligible for proton therapy cannot receive treatment because the centers are prohibitively expensive to build. HIL Applied Medical’s solution—based on a completely new way of generating proton beams–will enable the building of proton therapy facilities for just $14M.”
2. “Defensible technology based on patented nano-engineering: HIL is able to provide a significantly more affordable proton therapy solution by bypassing the need to construct expensive particle accelerators. HIL’s solution does not generate excessive radiation to the environment, vastly decreasing the need for large, reinforced facilities. HIL will be able to provide its solution at a substantially lower cost while delivering superior capabilities by re-inventing the expensive particle accelerators and magnets used to create and direct protons today. This is made possible thanks to a proprietary nano-engineered target developed by the company and ultra-fast pulsating magnets. HIL’s solution directs a laser beam onto the target, which then generates a highly focused proton energy beam, while unique magnets allow for accurate delivery of the beam to the tumor site. This process bypasses the current inefficient particle acceleration and delivery process employed by HIL’s competitors. HIL has a portfolio of 11 patents (granted + pending) to protect its technology.”
3. Untapped market looking for a solution: “The proton therapy market is grossly underserved, with only 38 proton therapy centers worldwide. By comparison, there are over 4000 X-ray radiation centers. We estimate that the potential annual US proton therapy market is worth $10B — but today is only 5% served by proton therapy. Despite prohibitive costs, the proton therapy market is on a strong growth trajectory, and a breakthrough technology such as HIL could greatly accelerate market penetration. According to the American National Association for Proton Therapy, 35 new centers are under development globally. According to a AD Little Market Study (2008), demand will continue to outpace supply for the foreseeable future. Large corporations like Hitachi and Mitsubishi have invested into proton beam technologies, giving us confidence that they share our belief that a strong opportunity exists.”
4. Experienced management team: “Co-founder and Director Shmuel Eisenmann, PhD, is an experimental physicist specializing in high power lasers, electro-optics, non-linear optics, plasma physics and laser accelerators. He is joined by CEO, Sagi Brink-Danan, MSc, MBA, founder of Perfuzia Medical, former VP at SRS Medical, where he lead the international commercialization of advanced female urinary technology , and was the second employee of the US subsidiary of Mazor Robotics (NASDAQCM: MZOR, TASE: MZOR). Co-founder and Chief Scientist, Prof. Arie Zigler, PhD, is the publisher of over 150 scientific publications and co-founder of X-Technologies Inc. – an interventional cardiology company acquired by Guidant Corp in 2003.”

Potential and interested OurCrowd investors may click here for more complete and updated campaign details and materials.