Proton Partners will invest £30m in its cancer centre which will be located at the Thames Valley Science Park and will offer proton beam therapy among other conventional cancer therapies.
The Reading centre will be the third to be built in the UK by Proton Partners and will help to meet growing demand for proton beam therapy, a specialised type of cancer treatment that is not yet available in the UK.
Two other Proton Partners centres are under construction – the first of which will be in Newport, Wales, and the second will be in Bomarsund, Northumberland.
The Reading centre will include facilities for proton beam therapy, a linear accelerator, as well as a CT suite and an MRI.
It is expected that each Proton Partners centre will be able to treat up to 500 patients a year and will accept NHS patients, medically-insured private patients and self-paying patients.
Proton Partners CEO Mike Moran said: “We are delighted that our new centre will be built at the heart of one of the most exciting health and life sciences projects in Europe.
“Located just off the M4 corridor and with connections to Heathrow, this centre will make proton beam therapy available to patients from the South of England as well as international patients.
“We’re bringing the top cancer technology to Reading – which is true of all of our treatment centres – and this investment will not only enhance the level of cancer treatment available, but will also bring skilled jobs to the area.”
GRAHAM Construction senior project manager Ivor Brown said: “This is our second project at the Thames Valley Science Park, the first being The Gateway Building, which is already on site.
“The project includes elements of off-site construction and therefore, it is vital to have a systematic management programme in place. With an extensive portfolio of healthcare projects, our experienced team is looking forward to working with Proton Partners International Ltd to achieve what will prove to be a highly rewarding project.”
The Thames Valley Science Park is part of The University of Reading’s plans to build a science park which aims to create up to 5,000 jobs and provide 800,000ft2 of laboratory and office space.
Thames Valley Science Park executive director David Gillham said: “Thames Valley Science Park is delighted to welcome Proton Partners to its growing community of innovation lead and technology based companies at this exciting new development.
“As well as bringing new healthcare technology to the south east of the U.K. We are already exploring wider opportunities for collaboration with the University of Reading.”
ecancer.org founding editor Professor Gordon McVie said: "By PPI calculations the U.K. will need a substantial investment in proton facilities, maybe more than 20 in due course, depending on the results of ongoing trials (over a thousand) evaluating the place of proton treatment in many different cancers.
“PPI is in the vanguard of this effort and looks to grow steadily over the next quinquennial, throughout the country."