Airbus, Accuray and the Oncopole use artificial intelligence to improve the availability of radiotherapy equipment

Toulouse, France, 4 September 2024 - Airbus, Accuray and the Oncopole have signed a cooperation agreement to improve the availability and maintenance of radiotherapy equipment thanks to artificial intelligence.

Under the agreement, the partners will develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven solutions to predict radiotherapy system performance issues that could lead to delays in the management of patients treated at the Oncopole.

The solution will leverage Airbus' experience in designing robust predictive models, which have been used for many years in the aviation industry, data generated by the Accuray treatment delivery systems, and the Oncopole team's expertise in radiotherapy and medical physics.

“At Airbus, we strive to develop artificial intelligence knowledge and technology in a responsible way that puts people first”, said Klara Wittkowski, Head of R&T Development and Partnerships at Airbus. “When we started our partnership with the Oncopole two years ago, we knew that there was a great opportunity to leverage our expertise for the benefit of oncology care, as AI's transversal nature makes it easily transferable from one domain to another. Today, we are proud to take this project forward by partnering with Accuray radiotherapy systems and turning research into direct value for the medical community. It shows how much innovation happens when we cross the boundaries of our respective industries and combine the best of our experience and knowledge. This is a tangible first step and we hope to see many more in the future!”

“The future of oncology must be built with all the players who can contribute to accelerating oncology research. Extending our collaborations beyond our ‘healthcare’ ecosystem is part of Oncopole's data and AI strategy. Following the initial agreements signed two years ago with Airbus and the IRT Saint Exupéry, which have already been published, we are delighted to be making concrete progress on a project that will ultimately facilitate patient care at Oncopole,” adds Professor Delord, General Director of the Oncopole.

“Patients undergoing radiotherapy receive care on a schedule determined by their medical team. Ensuring our systems are running without an interruption to that schedule is our highest priority. We will continue to seek best practices in other industries, such as aviation, where continuous operational performance is paramount and where they currently monitor component level functioning and can predict and proactively address issues before there is an impact,” said Suzanne Winter, president and CEO of Accuray. Continued Ms. Winter, “Our goal is to continually improve the cancer patient treatment journey and our customers’ experience with our radiotherapy delivery systems. I am excited about the work we’re doing with the IUCT and Airbus teams and I’m confident that together, this will translate into a better patient experience and lower system operating costs.”

Radiotherapy is a fundamental component of cancer treatment ⁽¹⁾ and can be used to treat localised, recurrent or metastatic cancer. It is estimated that 50 percent of people with cancer would benefit from radiotherapy ⁽²⁾, either as the sole treatment option or in combination with other modalities such as surgery, chemotherapy or immunotherapy.

The partners will use Airbus' aerospace expertise to develop a failure prediction methodology for the Accuray Radixact radiotherapy delivery system, a non-invasive option for precise treatment of a wide range of tumours throughout the body. The solution will complement Accuray's current service offering, which includes 24/7 telephone support, proactive system monitoring and preventive maintenance.

Click here to know more about the use of artificial intelligence at Airbus.

Note to editors

About the IUCT-Oncopole

For 10 years, the IUCT-Oncopole, or 'Oncopole' as it is known to patients, has been bringing together the expertise of more than 2,000 professionals on a single site in Toulouse, which has been awarded the 'Comprehensive Cancer Centre' label. It combines several state-of-the-art clinical cancer treatment facilities with a world-class research infrastructure on an integrated campus that brings together public and private stakeholders, including industrial partners. It treats more than 11,000 new patients each year and more than one in eight patients is enrolled in clinical trials. Oncopole brings together the century-old Oncopole Claudius Regaud cancer centre and several teams from the Toulouse University Hospital.

The radiotherapy department at Toulouse's Oncopole, headed by Professor Elizabeth Moyal, is a European benchmark ⁽³⁾ both for the quality of its care and for its research projects, which are developed in an integrated way to continuously optimise treatments. Oncopole's radiotherapy department is equipped with 7 additional accelerators and all the technologies, including brachytherapy, needed to treat 3,000 patients a year, whatever their pathology.

Key figures for Oncopole's radiotherapy department:

3,500 patients per year
55,962 sessions in 2023
44 clinical trials launched in the department

About Accuray

Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY) is committed to expanding the powerful potential of radiation therapy to improve as many lives as possible. The company invents unique, market-changing solutions that are designed to deliver radiation treatments for even the most complex cases—while making commonly treatable cases even easier—to meet the full spectrum of patient needs. Accuray is dedicated to continuous innovation in radiation therapy for oncology, neuro-radiosurgery, and beyond, as Accuray partners with clinicians and administrators, empowering them to help patients get back to their lives, faster. Accuray is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, with facilities worldwide.

Referenced sources

International Atomic Energy Agency, Radiotherapy in Cancer Care: Facing the Global Challenge, Non-serial Publications , IAEA, Vienna (2017).
Atun et al. Expanding global access to radiotherapy. Lancet Oncol 2015; 16:1153-86.
OECI certification: News details (oeci.eu)

@Airbus @Accuray @IUCTOncopoleICR #ArtificialIntelligence #CancerResearch