Leo Cancer Care has announced the debut of Grace, its new upright photon therapy system, during the ASTRO 2025 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California. Named after American computer scientist Grace Hopper, the system reflects the company’s mission to challenge traditional approaches to radiation therapy.
Grace is designed to deliver conventional x-ray radiation therapy while patients are positioned upright—a configuration supported by emerging research that suggests improved anatomical consistency and greater organ stability compared with conventional supine treatments. Patients have also reported a more natural and connected experience when treated in an upright position.
Advancing Photon Therapy Through Imaging and Workflow Integration
“Leo Cancer Care is already known for delivering upright particle therapy technology, and over the past few years we have seen a real paradigm shift as a result,” said Stephen Towe, co-founder and CEO of Leo Cancer Care. “Grace represents a return to our original company focus of delivering more cost-effective photon treatments to a global stage without sacrificing on treatment quality. Our technology has always been bold, but we are pioneering with purpose and that purpose is to put the patient truly back at the center of their treatments.”
Grace integrates a fan beam CT scanner at the treatment isocenter, enabling planning-quality imaging throughout the workflow. This setup paves the way for online adaptive radiotherapy, allowing clinicians to adjust treatments based on real-time anatomical changes.
The system also includes a large, ultra-fast multi-leaf collimator (MLC) designed to exceed current industry standards in speed and precision. Grace will be fully compatible with RaySearch Laboratories’ RayStation—the first treatment planning system to support upright radiation therapy—and RayCare, an oncology information system.
Improving Access and Enabling Global Collaboration
With its fixed-beam architecture, Grace reduces primary shielding requirements and infrastructure costs, potentially expanding access to radiation therapy in emerging healthcare markets.
The first five pre-commercial systems will be deployed at leading institutions as part of the Upright Photon Alliance, a global research collaboration formed in 2024. Alliance members include Centre Léon Bérard, Cone Health, IHH Healthcare, Mayo Clinic, and OncoRay, who will study the system’s potential clinical and operational benefits.
Leo Cancer Care continues to focus on patient-centered innovation, developing technologies that make advanced radiation therapy more accessible, efficient, and adaptable worldwide. Grace remains under development and has not yet received regulatory clearance or approval for commercial sale. It is currently presented for research and discussion purposes only.
Source: Leo Cancer Care
