ProtonVDA

What ProtonVDA does

ProtonVDA LLC is a privately-held medical device company founded in December 2014 in Naperville, Illinois, specializing in proton imaging technology for proton therapy optimization. The company has developed the ProtonVDA pRAD System, a proton radiography device that uses two 2D tracking detectors positioned on either side of the patient to measure the transverse position of individual protons before and after traversing the patient, combined with a residual range detector that determines proton energy absorbed within the patient. This enables direct measurement of proton stopping power, reducing range uncertainty in proton therapy treatment planning and allowing for drastic reduction of uncertainty margins, lower radiation dose to patients (reported at 10x less than equivalent X-ray imaging), and artifact-free imaging of metallic implants. A second product, the pCT (Proton Computed Tomography) platform, is in development to provide 3D stopping power mapping for treatment planning.

The company's business model centers on hardware sales of the pRAD System to proton therapy centers and hospitals, with a planned upgrade path to pCT. The system is currently undergoing medical certification at the Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center, the company's only named clinical partner. Revenue is not yet generated commercially; operations have been sustained through three rounds of NCI Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants (Phase I in September 2015, Phase II in September 2016, and a second NCI SBIR project starting April 2020). In May 2019, ProtonVDA entered a strategic partnership with Cosylab d.d, a Slovenia-based hi-tech firm, to handle clinical integration, FDA clearance, and sales/marketing for initial clinical adoption. The company is led by co-founders Don 'Fritz' DeJongh (CEO, PhD Caltech, ex-Fermilab physicist) and Victor Rykalin (M.S. Electronics, ex-Loma Linda and Northern Illinois University), with a headcount of 1-10 employees.

Name

ProtonVDA

Legal name

ProtonVDA LLC

Website

https://protonvda.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ProtonVDA develops the pRAD proton radiography imaging system that directly measures proton stopping power to optimize proton therapy treatment planning and reduce range uncertainty for cancer patients at proton therapy centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Proton Therapy Medical Imaging Devices

NAICS

Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing (334517)

SIC

X-Ray Apparatus & Tubes & Related Irradiation Apparatus (3844)

akta.pro primary industry

Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SPECT/PET) (HLAHABAE)

Keywords

• Proton radiography
• Proton therapy imaging
• Medical imaging devices
• Proton computed tomography
• Range verification

Headquarters

HQ city

Naperville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. ProtonVDA pRAD System Hardware Sales: Sale of proton radiography hardware systems to proton therapy centers. The pRAD System is a medical imaging device currently undergoing medical certification at Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center.
2. Strategic Partnership with Cosylab: Partnership for clinical integration of proton imaging technology into proton therapy treatment rooms, FDA clearance for proton imaging product, and sales/marketing for clinical adoption.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ProtonVDA develops and sells the pRAD System, a proton radiography medical imaging device for proton therapy centers. The system uses tracking detectors on either side of the patient to measure the transverse position of individual protons before and after traversal, and a residual range detector to determine proton energy absorbed in the patient. It enables direct measurement of patient-specific proton ranges to reduce uncertainty in proton therapy treatment planning and delivery, with planned upgrade capability to 3D proton CT (pCT).

Product overview

ProtonVDA offers a unified product portfolio centered on the ProtonVDA pRAD System (proton radiography), with planned upgrades to the pCT (Proton Computed Tomography) Platform for 3D imaging. The pRAD System is the core commercial product currently undergoing medical certification, while the pCT Platform represents the next-generation 3D imaging capability designed as a future upgrade path. Together, these products enable proton therapy facilities to perform patient-specific range verification and treatment planning using direct proton measurements rather than X-ray CT-derived estimates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ProtonVDA pRAD System: A full proton radiography system with clinical capabilities that uses tracking detectors to measure transverse position of individual protons before and after the patient, and a residual range detector to determine proton energy absorbed within the patient.

Products and services

• ProtonVDA pRAD System A proton radiography medical imaging system for proton therapy centers and hospitals. It uses two 2D proton tracking detectors on either side of the patient to measure the transverse position of individual protons before and after traversal, combined with a residual range detector that measures the proton energy absorbed within the patient, producing proton radiographs for pretreatment imaging in pencil beam scanning proton therapy.
• pCT (Proton Computed Tomography) Platform Three-dimensional proton computed tomography capability built on the pRAD platform, enabling direct measurement of 3D proton stopping power maps for proton therapy treatment planning. Designed as an upgrade path for installed pRAD Systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10x lower absorbed dose compared to equivalent X-ray images for pRAD scan of a head
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cosylab d.dcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2019Strategic partnership established in May 2019 with Cosylab d.d, a global hi-tech company, for clinical integration of proton imaging technology into proton therapy treatment rooms, FDA clearance for the proton imaging product, and sales/marketing to find first partners for clinical adoption. Cosylab provides software engineering and system integration services with experience in proton therapy processes and planning.
• Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical partnership for implementation of the first clinical proton imaging system. The pRAD System has a setup at this facility and is currently undergoing medical certification. Partnership involves ProtonVDA and Cosylab working together with Northwestern Medicine.
• NIH (National Institutes of Health)coreOthersProtonVDA has received NIH funding through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Phase I (September 2015) successfully demonstrated proof-of-concept, Phase II (September 2016) successfully demonstrated fully functional prototype, and a second NCI SBIR project 'A Proton Tomography System for Optimization of Proton Therapy' started in April 2020. Company maintains NIH Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) compliance policy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hitachi (Particle Therapy / Hitachi High-Tech): Operates a proton therapy systems business with multiple installed centers globally. Comparable to ProtonVDA as a large incumbent serving the same proton therapy customer base and a potential integrator or competitor for proton imaging subsystems.
• Varian Medical Systems (Siemens Healthineers): Major radiation oncology vendor (now part of Siemens Healthineers) with the ProBeam proton therapy system and a full portfolio of treatment planning and delivery software. Comparable because Varian targets the same radiation oncology customer base and could incorporate or compete with ProtonVDA's imaging and planning-adjacent capabilities.
• Elekta: Global radiation therapy and radiosurgery equipment vendor (Elekta Unity, Versa HD). Comparable as a broad incumbent in radiation oncology delivery and software that could partner with or compete against ProtonVDA in imaging-integrated treatment workflows.
• Ion Beam Applications (IBA): Global leader in proton therapy systems (ProteusONE, ProteusPLUS) and a major radiation oncology vendor. Comparable to ProtonVDA because IBA sells complete proton therapy rooms to the same customer base and could integrate or compete with proton imaging; ProtonVDA's pRAD targets the same clinical workflow.
• Mevion Medical Systems: Manufacturer of compact proton therapy systems (MEVION S250i with HYPERSCAN pencil beam scanning). Comparable because Mevion sells into the same proton therapy center customer base that ProtonVDA targets and its pencil beam scanning technology creates demand for the kind of imaging ProtonVDA provides.
• ProNova Solutions: Proton therapy system manufacturer (SC360) targeting compact, lower-cost proton therapy. Comparable as another proton therapy OEM selling to the same proton center customers ProtonVDA serves, and a potential partner or competitor for imaging integration.

Others

• Accuray: Radiation therapy systems manufacturer (CyberKnife, TomoTherapy, Radixact) focused on advanced delivery and motion management. Comparable as a radiation oncology incumbent whose image-guided delivery technology competes for the same hospital capital budget and clinical workflow as ProtonVDA's proton imaging.
• ViewRay: Developer of MR-guided radiation therapy systems (MRIdian) integrating real-time imaging with treatment delivery. Comparable as an image-guided radiation therapy vendor pursuing the same clinical goal ProtonVDA targets — reducing uncertainty via direct imaging during treatment.
• RaySearch Laboratories: Developer of treatment planning and dose calculation software (RayStation, RayCare) widely used in proton and photon therapy centers. Comparable because RaySearch's software sits adjacent to ProtonVDA's pRAD/pCT imaging-to-planning workflow and could partner with or compete against ProtonVDA's imaging-driven planning tools.
• Brainlab: Vendor of radiation oncology software, patient positioning, and image-guided radiotherapy hardware. Comparable as an adjacent player in image-guided radiation therapy whose positioning and imaging products target the same clinical workflow ProtonVDA aims to enter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/protonvda

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ProtonVDA