White Paper
A New Frontier in Cancer Therapy: Boron Neutron Capture Therapy at a Turning Point
Insights from the 2024 Deerfield Management BNCT Summit
BNCT is at a pivotal juncture today. The development of new therapeutics for BNCT is evolving rapidly, with clinical trials exploring novel boron compounds and treatment strategies that aim to enhance the efficacy and safety of BNCT. In addition, the development of accelerator-based neutron sources has significantly advanced BNCT, making treatment more practical than it has been in the past.
The 2024 Deerfield Management BNCT Summit brought together academic and industry leaders from across the globe to discuss current technological advances, therapeutic development and operational requirements for the advancement of BNCT in the U.S. and global healthcare ecosystems.
This white paper summarizes in-depth discussions from the summit and provides recommendations for concrete next steps for accelerating this important treatment.
“Boron neutron capture therapy holds promise to be an effective and targeted cancer treatment, achieving remarkable precision by selectively eliminating cancer cells and sparing healthy tissue. Recent clinical studies on BNCT have shown significant improvements compared to the current standard of care and the modality is potentially transformative for difficult-to-treat cancers.”
Dave Greenwald, CEO of Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals and vice president, business development at Deerfield Management
Calls to Action
The white paper proposes these calls to action for the BNCT community and describes how these efforts will help to advance this treatment.
- Establishing accelerator-based BNCT facilities in the United States to conduct pre-clinical and clinical research
- Continuing to generate compelling clinical evidence and novel therapeutics using existing BNCT centers
- Collaboration and knowledge sharing between academic labs, government and companies developing BNCT drugs and devices
- Educating healthcare providers on the unique value proposition of BNCT
- Advocating for national cancer treatment guideline inclusion
- Embracing the potential of BNCT as it relates to value-based care
- Engaging with patient advocacy groups to educate patients
- Increasing investment in BNCT therapeutics and devices from governmental funding agencies, disease foundations and venture capital firms