Varian, Brainlab expand partnership to incorporate Novalis technology with TrueBeam STx system

Varian Medical Systems (Varian) and Brainlab today announced the expansion of their partnership to incorporate Novalis technology and other Novalis® Radiosurgery Program elements with the recently launched TrueBeam™ STx system. The expanded suite of products will be badged "Novalis powered by TrueBeam STx." The announcement was made at the 5th International Conference of the Novalis Circle, a meeting of Novalis radiosurgery users that provides a platform for collaboration between clinicians to advance the field of radiosurgery, which was held in Munich June 17-19.

This expanded agreement is a natural extension of a relationship between the two companies that began in 1996, and grew with their collaboration around the Novalis Tx™ radiosurgery platform, which launched in 2007. Novalis Powered by TrueBeam STx will give clinicians radiosurgical and image-guidance capabilities designed for targeted SRS and SBRT treatments. It will include Brainlab iPlan® treatment planning and ExacTrac® room-based x-ray imaging technology as well as Varian's HD120 MLC multileaf collimator for high resolution beam shaping.  

"TrueBeam STx technology will significantly enhance the Varian-Brainlab offering to the radiosurgery market with its significant speed and precision. The Novalis Radiosurgery Program includes a comprehensive package of clinical applications, workflow, knowledge base and training for radiosurgery," said Dow Wilson, Executive Vice President; President, Oncology Systems, Varian Medical Systems, Inc.

The TrueBeam STx is specially configured for advanced radiosurgery and is designed to treat a moving target with unprecedented speed and accuracy. A TrueBeam system can deliver treatments up to 50 percent faster with a dose delivery rate of up to 2400 monitor units per minute, double the maximum output of earlier, industry-leading Varian systems. This makes it possible to offer greater patient comfort by shortening treatments, and to improve precision by leaving less time for tumor motion during dose delivery.

"Expanding our partnership with Varian to combine TrueBeam STx with the Novalis Radiosurgery Program gives us a stronger and broader platform for innovation in neurosurgery. We believe the combination of our leading technologies can help make significant clinical advancements in the fight against cancer and other neurological conditions. Our goal is to increase access to advanced treatment," said Stefan Vilsmeier, CEO, Brainlab.