McLaren Health Care, the three-state, fully integrated health care provider, has taken an ownership stake in Leo Cancer Care as part of the proton therapy technology developer’s Series C financing round.
Leo Cancer Care is the manufacturer of the Marie, an innovative upright proton therapy unit of which two are currently being installed at the McLaren Proton Therapy Center in Flint.
Following this investment, McLaren Health Care Chief Administrative Officer Greg Lane will join the Centaur Health Holdings Board of Directors, the Leo Cancer Care holding company.
“Leo’s patient-focused, modernized approach to proton care was what initially attracted us to this organization and, ultimately, what motivated us to strengthen our association through this investment,” Lane said. “We are pleased to join the board, to lend our perspective and share our experience to provide for this organization’s continued growth and success.”
In 2023, the McLaren Proton Therapy Center began construction to expand the facility through the installation of upright Marie units. In a space originally designed and designated for a single conventional unit, the space can effectively accommodate two Marie units, essentially doubling the Center’s care capacity.
“I am personally excited with this addition to our board as it brings a new point of view that will increase Leo’s focus on meeting our customers’ needs,” said Stephen Towe, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Leo Cancer Care. “Greg has seen firsthand the challenges of conventional proton therapy and understands the huge value such a treatment brings to cancer patients.”
With Lane, McLaren Health Care initially began exploring proton therapy for cancer treatment in 2008, during which time there were only five centers of its type in the United States. McLaren’s commitment to offering proton therapy technology to its patients resulted in the opening of the McLaren Proton Therapy Center in 2018. In January 2024, the Center treated its 1,000th patient, illustrating its demand and supporting its expansion efforts.
Leo Cancer Care was founded in 2018 in Australia and has since expanded across Europe and United States.
Pending FDA clearance, McLaren Proton Therapy Center will be the first in the world to feature the innovative Marie upright technology in early 2025.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6.6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 13 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Learn more at mclaren.org.
About McLaren Proton Therapy Center
McLaren Proton Therapy Center is part of the Karmanos Cancer Networkand offers radiation oncology treatment with superior precision. The McLaren Proton Therapy Center leads in advanced, next-generation technology by providing pencil-beam scanning and a state-of-the-art system for volumetric image guided proton therapy delivery. The McLaren Proton Therapy Center’s synchrotron accelerates protons to speeds up to 60 percent of the speed of light that are then focused to target the cancer, while sparing healthy tissues. The system uses isocentric gantries with 180-degree rotation, and robotic patient positioning and verification systems, allowing the most flexibility for treatment design and delivery. Located in Flint, Michigan, patients from the surrounding areas and beyond travel to the McLaren Proton Therapy Center for this advanced treatment. Learn more at mclaren.org/proton.