Mankind will soon have another weapon in the 4,000-year fight against cancer. Clearance has been granted by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for an advanced method for targeting tumors with radiation treatment developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Dubbed Peregrine - after the patron saint of cancer patients - the technology could eventually save thousands of lives each year by helping doctors direct more radiation at tumors, with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue. NOMOS Corporation, a leading supplier of radiation treatment technologies located in Sewickley, PA recently received U.S. Food & Drug Administration clearance to produce and market Peregrine systems to the medical community.

Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson made the announcement October 6 at NOMOS headquarters. "Peregrine could change the way cancer is treated in America," said Secretary Richardson. "This technology was developed through advances resulting from nuclear weapons research and with the multidisciplinary scientific expertise of a Department of Energy national laboratory. This is an excellent example of turning swords into plowshares."

Peregrine has been under development at Lawrence Livermore since 1994, in collaboration with researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and other academic institutions.

More Radiation Where It's Needed

Peregrine is a computer-based system for calculating, in three dimensions, where radiation goes in the body, and how much of it is striking tissue, bone or empty cavities. Peregrine will allow doctors to more accurately target tumors with radiation, permitting physicians to increase the dose needed to destroy tumors without increasing damage to healthy surrounding tissue.

To find out more about NOMOS and its treatment planning and delivery products, visit the NOMOS website at www.nomos.com

Contact: Susan Houghton (925) 422-9919

---