- Attendees celebrated the accomplishments of a 10-year collaboration leading to the first patients treated in 2025
- The first clinical trial at the HUS BNCT facility is nearing completion
HELSINKI and BOSTON, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Neutron Therapeutics LLC (NT) and the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) celebrated the opening of their accelerator-based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy facility. The first-of-its kind facility has been treating patients since May of 2025. HUS organized this event to recognize the accomplishments of the clinical and development teams that made the center a reality.
The ceremony was attended by Kaisa Juuso, Finnish minster of Social Affairs for Finland, as well as Matti Bergendahl, CEO of HUS, and Bill Buckley, co-founder and majority shareholder of Neutron Therapeutics. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Buckley remarked: “With BNCT we saw an opportunity to use our technology to help people with cancer. I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish here together with HUS.”
Nine patients have been treated at the facility so far, as part of a ten-patient study aimed at demonstrating the safety of BNCT for locally recurrent head and neck cancer using Neutron Therapeutics’ nuBeam® device. nuBeam® is a compact accelerator-based, high-throughput clinical neutron irradiation system specifically designed for BNCT. The device is used in combination with a boron-carrying compound called boronophenylalenine (BPA), which is prepared at HUS. The Comprehensive Cancer Center at HUS is the first European facility to boast an accelerator-based BNCT system.
BNCT is an approved cancer therapy in Japan and is the subject of clinical research in China, Korea, Taiwan and now Finland. BNCT is a tumor-cell-targeted radiation therapy in which neutrons activate a boron-bearing compound that is selectively taken up by tumors. The boron-neutron reaction generates high-energy alpha particles within tumor cells, destroying them while sparing adjacent healthy tissues. The biologically targeted nature of BNCT has the potential to minimize side effects by achieving unmatched conformality of the delivered dose to the tumor. In contrast to treatments like traditional photon or proton radiation therapy or chemotherapy, BNCT is administered in just one or two sessions, making it efficient for the hospital and less taxing for the patient.
About Helsinki University Hospital
Helsinki University Hospital is a pioneer in the clinical use of BNCT. Before building the present BNCT facility, the hospital has applied BNCT to over 200 cancer patients using a research nuclear reactor as a neutron source. With Neutron Therapeutics’ nuBeam® Suite, Helsinki University Hospital is continuing its leadership in developing clinical applications for many cancer indications.
About Neutron Therapeutics
Neutron Therapeutics is a leading provider of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) systems for use in the radiation treatment of cancer patients. Neutron Therapeutics’ nuBeam® Suite, is an accelerator-based, in-hospital neutron source that replaces the previously required nuclear reactor. nuBeam® has the highest flux of all BNCT systems and provides superior beam quality according to guidelines established by the IAEA for the clinical use of neutrons.
Contact: [email protected]
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SOURCE Neutron Therapeutics
