ProCure Treatment Centers and the University of Pennsylvania’s Roberts Proton Therapy Center have formed an agreement to provide training programs and accredit medical professionals in proton therapy.

The agreement focuses on expanding research on the technology to be used for the delivery of proton therapy and developing new protocols using protons to treat a wider range of cancer tumors, according to the Bloomington, Ind.-based company.

The Roberts Proton Therapy Center in Philadelphia and ProCure have agreed to establish new clinical studies to evaluate the use of protons in areas such as proton therapy in combination with chemotherapy, and the improved results obtained from increasing the dose delivered to the tumor, ProCure said. The company also said that center will provide oversight, establish data collection procedures, analyze data and work through any necessary regulatory process.

ProCure anticipates that within the next five years, at least 10 new proton therapy facilities will open in the United States, including the Roberts Proton Therapy Center and several centers under development, resulting in a significant need for trained staff at all levels. The company said it has a center under construction in Oklahoma and one planned for Illinois.