Southwest Florida Proton has formally accepted installation of its IBA ProteusONE, a construction milestone signifying that assembly and calibration of the cancer-fighting machine are nearly complete.
Components of the ProteusONE started arriving on site in November 2024, when construction teams used cranes to hoist the machinery into place through a custom roof hatch. In the months since, engineers and physicists have been configuring equipment, software and infrastructure.
“The formal acceptance means IBA has verified that the ProteusONE is assembled according to its specifications and complies with all government regulations, and they have turned the machine over to our local team,” said Senior Medical Director Dr. Shannon MacDonald. “We will use the next few weeks to continue training and verifications by our local team and expect to start treating cancer patients in December.”
Several IBA engineers will be permanently based at Southwest Florida Proton and work collaboratively with the center’s local leadership team, which includes MacDonald, Associate Medical Director Dr. Todd Pezzi, Senior Director of Proton Medical Physics Mark Artz, Ph.D., Director of Medical Dosimetry Linnae Campbell and Managing Partner Dr. Arie Dosoretz.
Proton therapy, which uses charged proton particles to destroy cancer cells, is widely considered a superior form of radiation therapy. Protons have the unique ability to travel precisely into a target and not beyond it, leading to fewer side effects and complications during and after treatments. Proton therapy has become a preferred course of treatment for many types of cancer, including pediatric malignancies, curable brain tumors, tumors of the skull base and spine, eye tumors, and for some patients with breast, esophageal, head and neck, liver, lung, prostate, lymphomas and sarcomas.
Phase I of Southwest Florida Proton opened in December 2024 and includes two freestanding health care practices. Advocate Radiation Oncology provides traditional radiation therapy services on its Varian TrueBeam, while Lee Health operates a diagnostic imaging center with Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) capabilities.