US-based medical device firm Varian Medical Systems has received £80m contract to equip and service two new national proton therapy centers in England.

Under the deal, Varian ProBeam proton therapy systems will be equipped in two three-room centers to be built in London and Manchester.

The company plans to commence the equipment installation from August 2017 at the centers, which will be located at the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) in London and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.

Varian Medical Systems CEO Dow Wilson said: "As the leading supplier of radiotherapy equipment and software to the National Health Service we will be able to leverage our existing UK-based engineering and logistics infrastructure to deliver industry leading technology while meeting the NHS requirements for value for money.

"This major project will result in a number of additional highly-skilled engineering jobs and an expansion of our UK organization, which currently includes both manufacturing and support."

Varian’s ProBeam system with Dynamic Peak Scanning provides high-speed intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT), which is said to be the precise form of proton therapy.

According to the company, ProBeam technology is being used to treat patients at the Scripps Proton Therapy Center in San Diego of US, Rinecker Proton Therapy Center in Munich of Germany and Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland.