| TOP SECRET LAB DEVELOPS ATOMIC CLOCK USING QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY

A revolutionary UK-built atomic clock will make military operations more secure through experimental quantum technology

Military personnel will use groundbreaking quantum technology to conduct more secure and precise operations, thanks to a new high-tech atomic clock.

Developed at the top-secret Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, (Dstl) the quantum clock will be a leap forward in improving intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance by decreasing the reliance on GPS technology, which can be disrupted and blocked by adversaries.

The clock’s precision is so refined that it will lose less than one second over billions of years, allowing scientists to measure time at an unprecedented scale. It is the first device of its kind to be built in the UK and will be deployable on military operations in the next five years.

The applications of quantum clocks extend beyond precision timekeeping. Further improvement to GPS accuracy could transform global navigation systems, aiding in everything from satellite communication to aircraft navigation.

The development of this cutting-edge technology supports key components of the UK Government’s Plan for Change, safeguarding national security while supporting skilled, productive jobs which foster economic growth.

In addition, further research will see the technology decrease in size to allow mass manufacturing and miniaturisation, unlocking a wide range of applications, such as use by military vehicles and aircraft.

Improved clocks, such as this atomic device, will allow the Ministry of Defence to further support current and future capabilities. For example, quantum clocks can:

• Enable more precise and independent navigation systems, reducing reliance on GPS satellites, which are vulnerable to jamming or destruction in conflict scenarios.
• Secure communications systems, such as encrypted military networks, which depend on highly synchronised timekeeping.
• Enhance the accuracy of advanced weapon systems, like guided missiles, which rely on accurate timing to calculate trajectories and coordinate attacks.
• Allow our Armed Forces to gain an edge over adversaries in timing-critical operations, especially in areas like cyber warfare, where milliseconds can make a difference.

Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle MP, said: 

“Integrating cutting edge technology into existing capabilities exemplifies the Government’s commitment to innovation in the defence sector, and to ensuring our Armed Forces have the best kit possible to keep us secure at home and strong abroad.

“The trialling of this emerging, groundbreaking technology could not only strengthen our operational capability, but also drive progress in industry, bolster our science sector and support high-skilled jobs.”

The trial is the first time that Dstl has tested a UK-built optical atomic clock outside of a laboratory, offering a new capability beyond the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) that currently exist. GNSS vulnerabilities are a known national security risk, with atomic clock technology having the potential to provide a stable sovereign-controlled capability for maintenance of precise time for critical operations.

Dstl’s Chief Executive, Paul Hollinshead, said:  

“This first trial of advanced atomic clock represents a significant achievement in the UK’s quantum technology capabilities.

“The data gathered will not only shape future Defence effort but is also a signal to industry and academia that we are serious about exploring quantum technologies for secure and resilient operational advantage.”

| BREAKTHROUGH IN ENERGY WEAPONS IN CHINA

A real-world “Death Star”

A recent article in the South China Morning Post reported that researchers at the Xia Navigation Technology Research Institute have made further strides in the development of a “Relativistic Klystron Amplifier” or RKA, a microwave weapon that works just like the Death Star’s super laser in the film Star Wars.

The development of microwave weapons systems specifically designed to target and disable, or destroy enemy satellites by using a concentrated beam of microwaves, was reported by the same news outlet in September 2023. These weapons which are part of the “directed energy” family, together with lasers, offer the advantage of low operating costs compared to traditional munitions, since they only require energy to power the emitter.

This means that as long as there is a power source, these weapons can be fired almost endlessly. With the global arms race heating up, China is increasingly interested in this new technology which it views not as a replacement for traditional weapons, but as a way to enhance its military strength.

Unlike ground-based laser beam emitters, these weapons can be mounted on satellites to get them close enough to the targets and burn out their electronics. The system consists of seven vehicles, each equipped with microwave emitters, and it operates on a principle similar to the super laser of the Death Star: multiple beams come together to create a single, powerful ray aimed at a target. Early tests have already shown that this system can jam American GPS signals and disrupt other satellites.                            This innovative technology is not just useful for military purposes; it also has potential applications in training and simulation within defence settings.

To ensure the weapon’s effectiveness, it demands extreme precision in both positioning and timing. Scientists had to devise a complex system that allows all beams to converge at exactly the same point, which means each vehicle must be positioned within just a few millimeters of the desired location. Even with the advanced accuracy of China’s Beidou satellite navigation system, achieving this level of precision was a significant challenge.  To facilitate this, laser measurement devices were installed on each vehicle to ensure millimeter-level localisation.

What’s more, the beams must not only meet at the same spot but also at the exact moment. The synchronisation of the emitters is crucial, requiring an extremely high level of precision of 170 picoseconds (0.00000000017 seconds), which is even more precise than the atomic clocks used in GPS systems. To achieve this remarkable temporal accuracy, fibre optic connections link the timing devices of each vehicle. This method has already proven capable of synchronising two points 1,800 kilometres apart with an incredible accuracy of just 10 picoseconds.

All the location and synchronisation data is then sent to a command centre where it is analysed to issue attack orders. However, because this project is highly sensitive from a military standpoint, the specific capabilities and performance details of this technology remain confidential and have not been made public.

| COPERNICUS GLOBAL CLIMATE REPORT 2024 CONFIRMS LAST YEAR AS THE WARMEST ON RECORD, FIRST EVER ABOVE 1.5°C ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE

The Copernicus Global Climate Highlights Report 2024, published today, confirms 2024 as the warmest year on record and the first to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the annual global average temperature. Last year was also the warmest for all continental regions, including Europe, except Antarctica and Australasia.

As also highlighted in the 2023 European State of the Climate Report and the European Climate Risk Assessment, the European continent has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, becoming the fastest-warming continent on Earth. European land in the Arctic remains the fastest-warming region on Earth, and changes in atmospheric circulation are favouring more frequent summer heatwaves. Likewise, glaciers are melting and there are changes in the pattern of precipitation.

The overall frequency and severity of extreme weather events are increasing. Sea surface temperatures remained exceptionally high, with July to December 2024, being the second warmest on record for the time of year, after 2023.

The EU is committed to supporting global climate action and becoming climate-neutral by 2050. It has agreed on targets and legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and the Commission has already recommended a 90% net GHG emissions reduction target for 2040.  The Commission published a Communication in April 2024 on how to effectively prepare the EU for climate risks and build greater climate resilience.

Copernicus, Europe’s eyes on Earth, is the Earth observation component of the European Union’s Space programme. Funded by the EU, Copernicus is a unique instrument that looks at our planet and its environment to benefit all European citizens.

| HUMAN MEDICINES IN 2024

In 2024, The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended 114 medicines for marketing authorisation. Of these, 46 had a new active substance which had never been authorised in the European Union (EU) before. Among these are a number of medicines that stand out due to their contribution to address public health needs or the innovation they represent. The Agency recommended the first medicine to treat early Alzheimer’s disease, the first needle-free and smaller form of adrenaline to treat allergic reactions, the first treatment for tumours associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease, and two new antibiotic medicines for the treatment of certain severe infections.

EMA also recommended several new vaccines, including one to protect against Chikungunya disease and a new mRNA vaccine against lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and extended the use of an mpox vaccine to protect adolescents from 12 to 17 years of age.

As in previous years, cancer was the strongest therapeutic area, with 28 recommendations for oncology products. There were also 28 recommendations for new biosimilar products, covering a wide range of diseases, including several types of cancer, osteoporosis, macular degeneration, and diseases that involve an abnormal immune response like plaque psoriasis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. This is good news for patients, as biosimilars make treatments more accessible and can provide broader access to potentially life-changing medicines.

The overview of the 2024 key recommendations published today includes figures on the authorisation of medicines and a selection of new treatments that represent significant progress in their therapeutic areas.

Once a medicine is authorised by the European Commission and prescribed to patients, EMA and the EU Member States continuously monitor its quality and benefit-risk balance and take regulatory action when needed. Measures can include a change to the product information, the suspension or withdrawal of a medicine, or a recall of a limited number of batches. An overview of some of the most notable safety-related recommendations is also included in the document linked below.

| INTERPOL PUBLISHES FIRST SILVER NOTICE TARGETING CRIMINAL ASSETS

Inaugural Silver Notice seeks information on assets of a senior mafia figure

Interpol has published its first-ever Silver Notice to help trace and recover criminal assets, combat transnational organized crime and enhance international police cooperation.

The Notice, requested by Italy, seeks information on the assets belonging to a senior member of the mafia.

The Silver Notice is the newest addition to the Organization’s suite of colour-coded Notices and Diffusions, which enable countries to share alerts and requests for information worldwide. It is being launched as part of a pilot phase involving 52 countries and territories, which will run at least until November 2025.

Through Silver Notices and Diffusions, member countries can request information on assets linked to a person’s criminal activities such as fraud, corruption, drug trafficking, environmental crime and other serious offenses. It will facilitate locating, identifying, and obtaining information about laundered assets including properties, vehicles, financial accounts and businesses. Countries may subsequently use such information as a basis for bilateral engagement, including bilateral requests for seizure, confiscation or recovery of assets, subject to national laws.

Valdecy Urquiza, INTERPOL Secretary General said:

“Stripping criminals and their networks of illegal profits is one of the most powerful ways to fight transnational organized crime, especially considering that 99 per cent of criminal assets remain unrecovered. By targeting their financial gains, INTERPOL is working to disrupt criminal networks and reduce their harmful impact on communities worldwide.”

Prefect Raffaele Grassi, Deputy Director General of Public Security and Director of the Italian Criminal Police, said:

“Italy is proud to chair INTERPOL’s Expert Working Group on Asset Tracing and Recovery.  We are confident the Silver Notice and Diffusion will bring positive results, encouraging global law enforcement to enhance asset recovery efforts. It is of particular significance that this inaugural Notice has been issued at the request of investigators from the Guardia di Finanza in Palermo—a city synonymous with the Transnational Organized Crime Convention and its emphasis on the ‘follow-the-money’ principle.”

In 2023, INTERPOL’s 91st General Assembly, held in Vienna, Austria, outlined the development and implementation of the Silver Notice and Diffusion pilot through Resolution GA-2023-91-RES-11. The resolution tasked the Expert Working Group on Asset Tracing and Recovery, in collaboration with the General Secretariat, with designing the pilot’s scope, format, conditions and safeguard measures.

While Notices are shared with all 196 member countries, Diffusions may be directed to selected relevant countries. The General Secretariat will review every Silver Notice and Diffusion for compliance with the Organization’s rules prior to its publication or circulation. This includes ensuring they are not used for political purposes, in contravention of Article 3 of INTERPOL’s Constitution. During the pilot phase, extracts of Silver Notices will not be published on INTERPOL’s website.

Participating countries in the pilot will be able to collectively request up to 500 Silver Notices and Silver Diffusions, with the total divided equally among all participating countries.

Countries and territories participating in the pilot phase:

Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Burundi, China, Colombia, Congo, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Gabon, Georgia, Gibraltar (UK), Guinea, Hungary, India, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea (Rep. of), Kuwait, Latvia, Malawi, Malta, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

| NEW! SUMMER SCHOOL ON MISINFORMATION, DISINFORMATION AND HATE SPEECH

Technological advancements have revolutionised global communication and information sharing, offering unparalleled opportunities for collaboration across disciplines. However, they have also facilitated the rapid spread of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech, jeopardising the integrity of the information ecosystem. Addressing these challenges is critical to safeguarding human rights, peace, and sustainable development.

Recognising the risks, the international community is working to counter these threats. The United Nations has taken significant steps, including the adoption of the Global Principles for Information Integrity in 2024, promoting transparency, accountability, and collaboration among stakeholders to create a safer and more inclusive digital environment. Initiatives like the International Day for Countering Hate Speech underscore the urgency of collective action.

From 30 June to 4 July 2025, United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the Italian Society for International Organization (SIOI) will host the 3rd Summer School on Misinformation, Disinformation, and Hate Speech. Delivered in a hybrid format, the course provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of these issues, exploring their role in war and political propaganda, international legal frameworks, and the impact of artificial intelligence. Participants will also gain practical tools to detect, debunk, and counter harmful narratives while fostering effective change in public policies and practices.

The programme features expert-led lectures, dynamic case studies, and practical exercises, offering diverse perspectives from academia, international organisations, and civil society. Participants can join in person at SIOI’s historical premises in Rome or online, benefiting from intercultural dialogue and networking with global peers.

Designed for students, professionals, and anyone keen to tackle the challenges of disinformation and hate speech, this course equips attendees to become advocates for meaningful change in today’s information landscape.

Applications are open until 16 June 2025, with confirmation of acceptance and payment required within one week of application approval.

| NEW EU RULES ON HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT OPEN UP A NEW ERA FOR PATIENT ACCESS TO INNOVATION

Since Sunday, 12 January, the Regulation on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) has become applicable, marking a significant step forward in ensuring that innovative and effective health technologies are available to patients across the EU.

The new rules create an EU framework for the assessment of health technologies, such as medicines and medical devices, by fostering collaboration and coordination between EU Member States. This will help national authorities to make more timely and informed decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of health technologies and streamline the procedure for health technology developers. This will contribute to faster and wider access to new and more effective innovative products for patients.

The rules will apply to companies seeking marketing authorisation for their products by introducing a new and permanent EU framework for Health Technology Assessment, including through:

° introducing a single EU-level submission file for joint clinical assessments in order to ensure pooling of resources at the EU level and strengthening the scientific quality of HTA across the EU whileavoiding duplication of assessments at national level.

° establishing faster procedures requiring Joint Clinical Assessments to be completed within 30 days after the authorisation of the medicine;

° the systematic consultation of patients and clinicians during the preparation of the assessments as well as the involvement and consultation of the HTA stakeholders.

As a first step, these new rules will apply to marketing authorisation applications for a new cancer medicine or an advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP). The rules will be extended to orphan medicines in January 2028 and will as of 2030 cover all new medicinal products. Selected high-risk medical devices will also be assessed as of 2026.

The new EU framework replaces the long standing  EU-funded project-based cooperation between Member States on health technology assessment, while fully respecting Member States’ responsibility for the management of their health services as their national context requires.

Background

Health technology assessment is a scientific, evidence-based process that aims to inform the creation of safe and effective health policies by summarising information about the medical, social, economic and ethical issues related to the use of a health technology.

The European Commission adopted its proposal for a Regulation on Health Technology Assessment on 31 January 2018. Adopted in December 2021, the Regulation, a key deliverable of the EU Pharmaceutical Strategy, entered into force in January 2022. It applies from 12 January 2025. During this three-year transitional period, the Commission and the Member States prepared by seting up the necessary governance structure and drafted preparatory documents to support an effective application.

| PREDICTING OBESITY COMPLICATIONS – IN THOSE WHO ARE NOT OBESE

The IMI Sophia project identified five subgroups of people whose risk for obesity complications is not aligned with their body mass index (BMI)

If you’re obese, you’re at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and other complications. But some people, despite having a high body mass index (BMI), have a low risk for these complications. On the other hand, about one in five people with a normal BMI are at high risk – for instance, a person might have a much higher amount of fat or sugar in their blood than you would expect when considering their body weight alone, which could put them at a higher-than-expected risk for heart disease or diabetes.

The IMI Sophia project used machine learning techniques to analyse health data from a database of 170 000 adults from the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. They also developed powerful algorithms to cluster people whose risk profiles didn’t match what was expected given their body weight.

The study defined five subgroups of people whose risk for obesity complications and BMI are not aligned. For instance, about 5% of women and 7% of men had a profile with high “bad” cholesterol (LDL), high levels of fat in the blood, and had higher blood pressure than expected for their weight. This indicates that, despite their weight being within the normal range, these people are at risk of a cardiovascular event, diabetes, or another complication commonly linked to obesity.

This finding can help to identify people who are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes or other complications commonly associated with obesity, but who are not obese. Since a lot of these complications are preventable, it is possible to reduce the number of people who go on to develop these complications.

What’s more, better and more precise treatments can now be developed that are targeted for a specific subtype.

“The subgroups of people with obesity identified by the IMI SOPHIA project allows us to understand why two people with exactly the same body mass index and the same body fat distribution can have completely different obesity related complications,” said Carol Le Roux, project coordinator of SOPHIA.

“We are now starting to no longer think of obesity as one disease but rather as multiple different diseases that can lead to the same level of adiposity. This will improve how patients, clinicians, payers, and regulators view obesity as a subset of disease.”

Ali Farzaneh, one of the lead researchers involved in the study, said that these results illustrate how powerful machine learning techniques and personalised medicine approaches can be for health research.

“These findings redefine the understanding of obesity by identifying distinct subtypes that drive cardiometabolic risk, offering new precision tools for early disease prevention and intervention. This work demonstrates the potential of advanced algorithms and large-scale data to improve health outcomes.”

SOPHIA is supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative, a partnership between the European Union and the European pharmaceutical industry.

| EUROPOL HOLDS LARGEST-EVER OPERATION TO INCREASE SEIZURES OF CRIMINAL ASSETS WORLDWIDE

For the first time ever, Europol has welcomed to its headquarters over 80 financial experts from all around the world to participate in Project A.S.S.E.T. (Asset Search & Seize Enforcement Taskforce), a unique initiative aimed at enhancing the number of criminal assets seized globally. In total, 43 law enforcement agencies from 28 countries joined the operation, as well as authorities from international organisations, including Eurojust and Interpol.

From 13 to 17 January, the specialists pooled their knowledge and expertise to establish a new organisational workstream to identify, freeze and seize criminal assets through all possible means available. This includes sharing expertise in identifying persons and new modi operandi surfacing in money laundering schemes, and planning joint actions to seize assets.

Throughout the operation, experts identified:

• 53 properties, 8 of which were valued EUR 38.5 million;
• Over 220 bank accounts, including one with a US $5.6 million balance;
• 15 companies, over 20 yachts and luxury vehicles, 4 of which were valued more than EUR 600,000;
• 83 cryptocurrency addresses and wallets.

Another key result of the operation was the freezing of EUR 200 000 in cryptocurrencies.

The initiative was organised by the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) and supported by Europol’s specialists and analysts in asset recovery, cryptocurrencies, open-source intelligence and innovation tools.

Objective: seizing criminal assets…

The seizure of criminally acquired assets is extremely low worldwide. It is estimated that law enforcement manages to take just a fragment of criminal assets out of criminals’ hands; below 2% of the estimated yearly proceeds of organised crime. The remaining 98% provides the fuel for the continuation and expansion of organised crime activities. The most threatening criminal networks in the EU use real estate as one of the main industries to launder their illicit –and untaxed– profits (41%).

Even though Project A.S.S.E.T. has taken place this week, law enforcement in all EU Member States and beyond are already setting up joint actions to increase the number of criminal assets recovered. Recent major operations Whitewall and Gorgon are good examples of this international law enforcement cooperation to increase seizures.

Based on the findings from these two investigations, Europol supported authorities from six countries in taking down underground bankers who were laundering the proceeds of large-scale drug trafficking and other serious crimes. One of the most successful outcomes of this operation was the seizure of EUR 27 million in cryptocurrencies alone.

…through joint action 

Project A.S.S.E.T is a decisive step taken by EU Member States and third parties towards prioritising financial investigations, one of the areas which Europol is focusing on to successfully tackle top criminals.

In addition, the new Directive on Asset Recovery and Confiscation, which came into force in 2024, will become an important tool in the confiscation of these criminal assets. It gives new powers to the Asset Recovery Offices to efficiently freeze assets when required and to take immediate action to preserve the property until a freezing order has been issued.

The initiative exemplifies how Europol aims to strengthen the fight against all forms of serious international and organised crime by bringing relevant partners together. In this regard, a crucial element of Project A.S.S.E.T. is the participation of financial actors from the private sector, especially organisations from the banking sector and cryptocurrency exchanges.

Project A.S.S.E.T. is supported by the @ON Network funded by the EU Commissions, led by the Italian Antimafia Investigation Directorate (DIA).

| LEONARDO UNVEILS DESIGN OF PROTEUS UNCREWED ROTORCRAFT TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR

• Key design elements include an innovative modular payload bay.
• Leonardo is using advanced digital design and manufacturing techniques in the development of Proteus, including a digital twin for synthetic development, more than 40 components manufactured with advanced composite materials and the use of AI in its control software.
• The fast-moving programme will see the first flight of the new rotorcraft in mid-2025, following contract award in June 2022.

Leonardo, the Royal Navy and the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Future Capability Innovation (FCI) team have unveiled the design of the Proteus technology demonstrator aircraft. The circa three-tonne uncrewed rotorcraft will be used to demonstrate advances in autonomy and payload modularity and interchangeability, whilst developing cutting-edge new rotorcraft technologies including design and manufacturing techniques. Its development supports the Royal Navy’s Maritime Aviation Transformation (MATx) strategy, which covers the evolution of maritime aviation out to 2040. This includes building mass at sea and supporting future anti-submarine warfare missions.

The design of the Proteus technology demonstrator, images of which were published today, reveals that it has drawn on components from throughout Leonardo’s helicopter portfolio in order to reduce costs and accelerate aircraft development. Leonardo has also drawn on knowledge and experience from across its existing Uncrewed Air System (UAS) programmes.

This design will demonstrate the viability of large UAS in the maritime environment and will function as a test bed for the development and demonstration of autonomous capability. This includes flight control laws and algorithms for large autonomous Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft.

Uniquely, the Proteus design features a modular payload bay. This is designed to enable flexibility in mission roles, including the ability to trade fuel for mission payload. The ability to plug in specific payloads for different missions aims to give commanders in the field a wide range of options from a single type of aircraft. This is both operationally useful and delivers value for money by avoiding the need to buy and maintain multiple different fleets of aircraft.

Leonardo’s site in Yeovil, the Home of British Helicopters, maintains an aggressive autonomy development roadmap, which covers the capabilities required to conduct autonomous flight and deliver mission capability. In practice, this means maturing and testing a range of transformative technologies and techniques, for the design and manufacture of rotorcraft as well as on-board the aircraft itself.

For instance, Leonardo has created a ‘digital twin’ of the Proteus technology demonstrator to aid in development. Utilising a digital twin, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms in a synthetic environment enables Leonardo to test, modify and prove capability without the need for live aircraft trials, thereby reducing costs and significantly accelerating development when compared to traditional rotorcraft programmes.

Leonardo is also experimenting with the application of new digital manufacturing technologies in rotorcraft production, including additive layer manufacturing (3D printing) and the use of cost-effective low temperature cure composite materials, which require fewer manufacturing stages in the production of parts.

Once proven, these technologies will be employed more extensively to deliver agility through spiral development techniques, reduce through-life costs in comparison to conventional crewed aircraft, and improve manufacturing resilience and sustainability throughout Leonardo’s supply chain.

| VARIAN’S RAPIDARC DYNAMIC SOLUTION UNLOCKS NEW DIMENSIONS IN TREATMENT PLANNING AND DELIVERY

Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company, has introduced the RapidArc Dynamic solution, a cutting-edge advancement in radiation therapy designed to enhance treatment planning and delivery. This innovative technology integrates next-generation algorithms and dynamic hardware adjustments to improve precision, reduce treatment times, and minimize radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues.

Varian, has announced 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowing sale of its RapidArc Dynamic solution, a ground-breaking technology leveraging advanced algorithms to revolutionize treatment planning to shorten the time between consultation to treatment.

One of the standout features of RapidArc Dynamic is its ability to significantly accelerate the treatment planning process. The advanced algorithms employed can optimize plans and calculate doses up to 70% faster than previous systems, allowing clinicians to handle a higher volume of cases without compromising quality.

In terms of treatment delivery, RapidArc Dynamic offers enhanced control through its dynamic collimator, which can be adjusted in real time. Additionally, the system allows for strategic pausing of the gantry during arc rotation, enabling precise modulation at optimal beam angles. This combination of features merges the directional control of Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) with the efficiency of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) in a single treatment field.

Clinical benefits of this technology are substantial. Early research indicates that RapidArc Dynamic can reduce radiation doses to organs at risk by up to 50%, thereby decreasing the likelihood of long-term complications and improving patients’ post-treatment quality of life. For instance, in treatments involving the breast or lung, minimizing radiation exposure to the heart is crucial, as each additional gray (Gy) of radiation can increase the relative risk of cardiac morbidity by 5% to 7%.

Workflow efficiency is further enhanced by built-in tools such as Auto-Skin Flash, which automates and simplifies multi-step processes. The system also integrates seamlessly with existing features within the Eclipse treatment planning software, including Multi-Criteria Optimization (MCO), RapidPlan, and clinical goals templates, streamlining the overall treatment planning and delivery process.

“RapidArc Dynamic represents a powerful new solution for personalizing treatment planning and delivery with the potential to further reduce doses to organs at risk which can help reduce toxicities without disrupting treatment workflow,” Sushil Beriwal, MD, Vice President, Digital Oncology, Medical Affairs for Varian. “This new flexibility aims to help care teams reach new milestones in improving treatment outcomes.”

| PESCO: SWITZERLAND WILL BE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ‘MILITARY MOBILITY’ PROJECT

The Council has adopted a decision confirming that the participation of Switzerland in the PESCO project ‘Military Mobility’ meets the general conditions set out in Decision (CFSP) 2020/1639 of November 2020, and will bring substantial added value to the project.

Today’s decision authorises the Netherlands as project coordinator to formally invite Switzerland to join this PESCO project, in response to Switzerland’s request of September 2024. Once Switzerland completes an administrative agreement with the project, they will become formal members.

The PESCO project ‘Military Mobility’ aims to simplify and standardise national cross-border military transport procedures. It enables the swift movement of military personnel and assets throughout the EU, be it via road, rail, sea, or air. Canada, Norway and the United States of America were invited to join the project in 2021, and in 2022, the United Kingdom was invited to join.

Background

The Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) is one of the pillars of EU Defence Policy. It provides a framework for defence cooperation among the 26 participating EU member states who have entered into more binding commitments between one another. They jointly develop defence capabilities, coordinate investments, enhance the operational readiness, interoperability and resilience of their armed forces, and collaborate in projects.

On 5 November 2020, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2020/1639 establishing the general conditions under which third states could exceptionally be invited to participate in individual PESCO projects. The countries applying must meet political, legal, and substantive conditions, including sharing the values on which the EU is founded and not contravene the security and defence interests of the EU and its member states.