Cooperation in the field of proton therapy discussed in Belgium
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, November 15, 2021 – Ambassador Margulan Baimuhan met with representatives of the Belgian multinational proton therapy company «IBA», established in 1986.
During the meeting with the Directors of the branch divisions of the company O.Lechien, A.Dike and D.Ernult, the Belgian side expressed interest in expanding cooperation with Kazakhstan in the field of diagnostics and treatment of oncological diseases with proton therapy, which is considered the most advanced type of radiation therapy and consists in the use of a beam high-energy protons to irradiate tumors.
According to E.Dike, more than 100,000 patients in the world have been treated at the «IBA» proton therapy centers. In June 2021 the company received the «B Corp» certification, which demonstrates the company’s compliance with high standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.
Today, many research and diagnostic centers in Almaty, Nur-Sultan, Semey, and other cities are already equipped with «IBA» cyclotrons, which are the simplest and most effective way to obtain 230 MeV protons.
According to the Belgian side, the «IBA» company is ready to provide services to Kazakhstan organizations in proton therapy, radiopharmacology, sterilization of medical equipment, and dosimetry. They also expressed interest in establishing cooperation with the National Research Oncology Center NROC and other medical and scientific organizations.
The following agreements were reached: the Embassy will assist in organizing business visits for IBA representatives to Kazakhstan, the Belgian company will take part in the Roundtable «Kazakhstan - Belgium - Luxembourg: prospects for trade, economic and investment cooperation», which will be held at the end of November 2021 in Brussels.
The parties agreed to maintain working contacts.
IBA (Ion Beam Application) is a Belgian multinational company, a leader in the field of proton therapy. The company manufactures high-tech equipment for the diagnosis /treatment of cancer and provides a full range of equipment and services for intensity-modulated proton therapy. 10% of the company’s turnover is invested in R&D.
The company has over 1,500 employees in 40 countries around the world. The activity focuses on four areas: industrial solutions, radiopharmacology (Radio Pharma), proton therapy, and dosimetry.