January 15, 2026

Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President, and CEO: Toshiro Watanabe; hereinafter referred to as the “SHI”) has entered into a contract with Fujita Health University, Fujita Academy (Headquarters: Toyoake-shi, Aichi; Chairman, Board of Directors: Kiyotaka Hoshinaga; hereinafter referred to as “Fujita Health University”) for a boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) treatment system and BNCT dose calculation software, aimed at research and development for the treatment of deep-seated cancers.

SHI has been advancing to promote research and development of BNCT-based therapy for deep-seated cancers, following a memorandum of understanding with Fujita Health University and partner institutions in December 2024*.
Based on this memorandum, SHI has entered into a contract with Fujita Health University for a BNCT system aimed at enabling the treatment of deep-seated cancers and will advance the development of a next-generation BNCT system that generates higher-intensity neutron beams by increasing the accelerator output current.
The next-generation BNCT system that is the subject of this research and development effort will be designed to improve performance and enable expanded clinical indications by leveraging the technical expertise gained from BNCT systems currently marketed by SHI. In the development of this next-generation BNCT system, SHI, in collaboration with Fujita Health University and partner companies, will pursue research and development aimed at alleviating the conventional depth limitation of BNCT, which is currently approximately 6–8 cm from the body surface for safe and effective neutron delivery, thereby enabling application to more deeply seated cancers.

Through initiatives aimed at the continued advancement of BNCT, SHI is committed to contributing to the future of cancer treatment.

[About BNCT]
Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a form of radiation therapy for cancer in which a boron-containing agent is administered to the patient, enabling the selective accumulation of boron-10 within tumor cells, followed by external irradiation with low-energy neutrons.
When this occurs, the atomic nuclei of boron-10 capture neutrons inside the body, causing a nuclear fission reaction (10B (n, α) 7Li). Due to this reaction, α particles (nuclei of helium atoms) and Li recoil nuclei (nuclei of lithium atoms) are emitted with an energy that causes cell damage. These charged particles have an in-body flight range of only about 9 μm and 4 μm, respectively, and that range corresponds to about the size of a single cell.
Due to these characteristics, there is theoretically almost no damage to the surrounding normal cells and other structures, and this enables selective destruction at the cell level of the cancer cells that have taken up boron-10.

*December 25, 2024: “SHI Concludes MOU on Boron Neutron Capture Therapy System with Fujita Health University, Atransen Pharma, Stella Pharma, and Fujita” (https://www.shi.co.jp/english/info/2024/6kgpsq0000003on9.html)