McGill University Health Centre

• Kardium Inc. , a private medical device company that has developed the Globe® System for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) using pulsed field ablation (PFA), announced today the successful completion of enrollment in the paroxysmal cohort of the pivotal PULSAR IDE (Investigational Device Exemption) study.
• (Photo: Business Wire)
  The PULSAR IDE study, an international, multi-center clinical trial, is designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Globe System for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.
• The successful completion of enrollment underscores the commitment of the clinical sites, investigators, and the entire Kardium team.
• "The completion of enrollment in the PULSAR study represents a major accomplishment for Kardium.

• Proton beam therapy is a more precise treatment that can better focus radiation on a cancer, reducing the side-effects of treatment.
• This leads to better cognitive function and fewer long-term side-effects among patients who receive proton therapy compared to X-ray (photon) treatment.
• Although proton therapy is more expensive to deliver than photon radiation, studies have shown long-term cost-effectiveness of proton beam therapy for medulloblastoma.
• In a study of more than 1,000 adults with other types of locally advanced cancer, proton therapy led to fewer unplanned hospitalizations.

Canadian patients need to travel for treatment

• Researchers in the U.K. estimate that up to 15 per cent of all patients with curable cancers may benefit from proton therapy.
• However, without a domestic facility, Canadians who need proton beam therapy must travel out-of-country to receive this medically necessary treatment for their cancer.

Patients who are able to travel out-of-country report high levels of stress and feelings of isolation. Many of these concerns would be reduced with a domestic, Canadian proton therapy facility.

Progress toward Canadian facilities

In 2016, Québec announced a partnership with a private health-care company to build a standalone proton therapy facility in Montréal.

• It is recognized that the per-patient cost to deliver proton therapy would be less if a Canadian facility were available.
• Canadian doctors and patients eagerly await the day when a cancer patient can receive this advanced treatment without travelling out of country.
• Having access to proton therapy would also allow Canadian researchers to collaborate globally in scientific studies.

Derek Tsang receives research grant funding from ACCESS (https://accessforkidscancer.ca), the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, and the US National Cancer Institute. Tsang also received travel funding from Mevion Medical Systems in 2022.

• While research in this field may seem rather abstract at first glance, it very often leads to concrete applications.
• This work is the result of a collaboration with medical physicists at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
• The research team was able to demonstrate that electrons accelerated in ambient air can reach energies in the MeV (megaelectronvolts) range, i.e.
• A prime example is FLASH radiotherapy, a novel approach to treating tumours that are resistant to conventional radiation therapy.

• A new $500,000 commitment from Desjardins Group to the Desjardins Centre for Advanced Training (DCAT) at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) is preparing health science trainees for fulfilling careers.
• "It's essential that we give trainees in health sciences resources and support that will foster their career and professional development.
• This new contribution will help students develop a set of complementary skills on the path to a career that meets their goals and reflects their talent."
• DCAT was created in 2009 to address a surprisingly common problem: newly-graduated health science experts were struggling to find careers.