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BNCT past and present

The advancement of boron neutron capture therapy has been a collaborative, international effort that has spanned nearly a century

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1936

American astrophysicist Gordon Locher hypothesizes that the interaction between neutrons released from radium and captured by beryllium could be used to kill tumor cells

1951

Neurosurgeon Dr. William Herbert Sweet of Massachusetts General Hospital and physicist Gordon Lee Brownell of MIT conduct the first clinical trial of boron neutron capture therapy for patients with brain tumors

1968

Hiroshi Hatanaka begins clinical BNCT program in Japan following his work in the U.S.

1990s

Interest is renewed in BNCT with clinical programs initiated in the U.S., Europe and Japan for “second-generation” boron compounds.

In 1999, Helsinki University Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, began treating patients with neutrons obtained from a nuclear reactor source (FiR 1) and using l-boronophenylalanine-fructose (l-BPA-F) as the boron delivery agent.

2012

Phase 1 clinical study in Japan is initiated in the first trial using neutron accelerator for neutron delivery

2020

Results of Phase 2 trial in Japan show an overall response rate of ~70% for patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma or advanced non-squamous cell carcinoma.

Steboronine® is approved by the PMDA in Japan for the treatment of unresectable locally advanced or locally recurrent head and neck cancer. This marked the first drug approval for BNCT.

2021

Aviko is founded by Deerfield Management to advance BNCT and build a treatment ecosystem in U.S. along with partners.

Advancing BNCT

Learn more about how BNCT precisely targets tumors

BNCT minimizes damage to healthy cells as boron medicines remain inert until they are activated by a neutron beam at the site of the tumor

Lean More About BNCT
The first patient receives boron neutron capture therapy at Brookhaven National Laboratory located in Upton, New York in 1951
The first patient receives boron neutron capture therapy at Brookhaven National Laboratory located in Upton, New York in 1951
Demonstration of a patient being positioned in front of the MIT neutron beam in 1999
Demonstration of a patient being positioned in front of the MIT neutron beam in 1999
Patient with primary brain tumors is treated in the Harvard / MIT BNCT program in 1999
Stella Pharma, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, received the first BNCT drug approval for their product, BPA, for treating head and neck cancers
Gordon Locher, Ph.D., published the first paper on BNCT in 1936
Dr. William Herbert Sweet (pictured) of Massachusetts General Hospital conducted the first BNCT clinical trial with Gordon Lee Brownell, Ph.D., of MIT
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Drug Developers

We partner with chemists, biologists and other biopharma companies to develop next generation BNCT medicines.
Medical Centers

We are building partnerships with leading medical centers to provide BNCT care to patients.
Investors

Founded by Deerfield Management, we seek to partner with like-minded health care investors.