Révolution dans le traitement du cancer : THERYQ et Gustave Roussy développent FLASHDEEP, une radiothérapie révolutionnaire

THERYQ, a French company specialized in the development of FLASH radiotherapy systems, and Gustave Roussy, the leading French and European center for cancer treatment and the fourth largest in the world, have been selected as part of the “i-Demo” / France 2030 call for projects for the “FLASHDEEP” project to the tune of 38 million euros.

FLASHDEEP will be the world’s first FLASH radiotherapy device using very high energy electrons (> 100 MeV). The particle acceleration technology developed by THERYQ is the result of research initiated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV).

The first clinical FLASHDEEP device will be installed in France, at Gustave Roussy, from the end of 2026, to conduct clinical trials on eligible patients. This system will be able to treat deep solid tumors up to 20 cm thanks to a very high energy electron beam and a dose rate a thousand times higher than that used in conventional radiotherapy. FLASHDEEP represents a major technological advancement in the fight against cancer, offering the prospect of a more effective, better tolerated, shorter, and therefore cheaper treatment than conventional radiotherapy, with no equivalent on the market today.

“THERYQ’s mission is to revolutionize cancer treatment by launching a new FLASH radiotherapy process. An advanced technique aimed at reducing the irradiation time to just a fraction of a second, thus replacing multiple radiotherapy sessions while preserving the patient’s healthy tissues. This technology offers the opportunity to treat more cancers resistant to today’s radiotherapy treatments, paving the way for a more effective, less invasive, and less toxic treatment for people with cancer,” said Ludovic Le Meunier, CEO of THERYQ. He also added, “Thanks to this funding obtained following an excellent collaboration with the DGE and Bpifrance, THERYQ aims to make all types of solid cancer a disease with which one can live in good conditions, by allowing FLASH radiotherapy to deploy its curative potential.”

“By irradiating more than 3000 times faster, we will be able to achieve the same anti-tumor effect with fewer toxicities and fewer sequelae, or increase the radiation dose on resistant tumors for cancers with poorer prognosis. The French company THERYQ is the first to have demonstrated the “FLASH” effect based on the use of electrons emitted at very high speed. The first trials will start in 2027 and will concern inoperable cancers of the pancreas and brain. But first, we need to deepen our knowledge in radiobiology and medical physics to develop new dose calculation methods related to this new technology,” explained Professor Eric Deutsch, head of the Radiotherapy Department at Gustave Roussy.

Thanks to the funding provided by Bpifrance as part of France 2030, THERYQ and Gustave Roussy will bring together biologists, physicists, and doctors to carry out the preclinical and clinical studies necessary to demonstrate the better tolerance and effectiveness of FLASHDEEP compared to conventional radiotherapy and proceed with the submission of the CE marking application so that French and European patients in need can benefit as quickly as possible from this new therapeutic option.

At the same time, THERYQ plans to build and equip its industrial platform to enable the launch of the first machines and the mass production of FLASHDEEP devices, and the start of their commercialization in Europe. This industrial deployment project also represents a very good economic opportunity for France with the creation of more than 600 direct and indirect jobs in the national territory, as it will ultimately allow the rebirth of a French radiotherapy industry, a field abandoned since the late 1980s.

Source: THERYQ / Gustave Roussy