Problem:
Chances are, most of us know someone who suffers from cancer or who has succumbed to it. With the projected increase in life expectancy in developed countries, close to half of us may one day have cancer. There is not yet a single cure for cancer, but there are several treatments. However most of these treatments induce heavy side effects.
Technology:
In the early 2000’s, it was discovered that a process using femto-second lasers could replace particle accelerators as a means of accelerating protons. Not only is the proton beam more powerful and precise, but it would require a much smaller infrastructure, could be integrated into existing hospitals and would ultimately require a much smaller investment. The laser and proton beam generation process developed by Amplitude and INRS is currently the most advanced. The Amplitude/INRS team’s goal is to enable a cancer treatment process that will cure the most patients possible, thanks to a reduced cost per patient, increased accessibility and doctor familiarity, and last but not least, improved patient experience.
Our Strategy:
Through extensive benchmarking and needfinding which has been conducted in collaboration with patients, doctors and industry professionals, the team has developed a two–level solution.
Firstly, the vision is to have a proton therapy unit which can be installed in existing hospitals. Indeed, it was found that such a possibility for retrofit would favor the early adoption of this promising new treatment. The physical nature of the technologies involved will be leveraged in order to design a solution comprised of an assembly of compact modules. As opposed to current technologies, these modules will create the perfect logistic and business context for proton therapy to be invited into hospitals.
Secondly, the abstract and futuristic nature of the modular cancer treatment creates a need to develop different tools to be able to share this modular solution to other stakeholders. The comparison of the three different scenarios of relevant radiation therapy, radiation therapy, proton therapy and laser proton therapy will be shown with augmented reality using a portable tablet. Showing the benefits of laser proton therapy compared to other radiation forms provides an advantage to Amplitude Technologies to present their technology in a clear and portable way.
