A company carrying out ground-breaking research into new treatments for cancer patients is aiming to expand its team after moving into premises in Elgin.
Alceli Limited recently moved into the Alexander Graham Bell Centre for Digital Health on the Moray College UHI campus, with a team of seven staff.
The firm, set up by engineer Steve Hunt, has secured funding from the Scottish Government, initially for one year, to develop prototype proton therapy (PT) equipment for the radiological treatment of tumours.
It has ambitions to build on its research and development work and move into manufacture, growing its workforce to up to 50. Alceli currently employs one young apprentice and intends to take on more.
PT uses proton beams, rather than X-ray or gamma radiation, and has advantages over other types of treatment in certain conditions, such as brain cancers, where current five-year survival rates are very low.
It can also reduce or eliminate the need for chemotherapy, with its associated side-effects, and in some cases provide a cure without the loss of function caused by surgery.
The advantages of the treatment have been known for a long time, but it is still not widely used, partly due to the previously high cost of building the large and complex particle accelerators needed.
Mr Hunt, who has previously worked in Switzerland and Thailand, said the company had chosen the Elgin centre as a base because of its location and links with NHS Grampian and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).
He added: “The centre is perfect for our research. The location is ideal for us and our stakeholders and being able to link with the work of the university and NHS Grampian is a real advantage for us. The facilities in the centre are perfect for our work.”
Jacqui Taylor, the college’s head of marketing and external relations said: “We are delighted to welcome Alceli to the Alexander Graham Bell Centre for Digital Health.
“The work of the company is a perfect fit for the ethos of the centre and our stakeholders and reflects Moray’s strength as an area to develop, pilot and test comprehensive digital healthcare models.”
