ViewRay
MR-guided radiotherapy pioneer. Founded in 2004 by James Dempsey (physicist). Developed the first commercial MR-Linac (originally with a Co-60 source, later with a conventional linac).
Company history
- 2004 — founded.
- 2012 — first MRIdian Cobalt-60 MR-IGRT system ships (0.35 T MRI + 3 Co-60 sources).
- 2017 — MRIdian Linac replaces Cobalt — 0.35 T MRI + 6 MV linac.
- 2018 — competes against Elekta Unity (1.5 T MR-Linac) — ViewRay had the first-mover position.
- 2023 — files Chapter 11 bankruptcy; asset sale + restructuring in progress.
Product line
- MRIdian — 0.35 T MR-Linac with 6 MV photon delivery
- MRIdian Linac (current) — post-Cobalt upgrade path
- Treatment planning + adaptive RT workflow software
Distinctive tech vs Unity
- 0.35 T MRI (vs Unity's 1.5 T) — lower field simplifies beam-magnet physics interaction; weaker soft-tissue contrast
- Real-time cine MRI during delivery at lower latency than Unity's implementation
- Adaptive RT workflow — automated plan adaptation between fractions
Clinical niche
Strong clinical advocate base for pancreatic SBRT, adrenal SBRT, oligometastatic treatment where real-time tumor visualization justifies the capital + workflow investment.
Market position
Very small unit volume (dozens of installs globally). Competes against Elekta Unity in the narrow MR-Linac segment. Post-bankruptcy future uncertain but installed base continues to operate.