The University of Wisconsin may see big benefits after a California company purchased a medical equipment company that has ties with UW research.

Accuray, a California-based manufacturer of radiation surgery equipment, purchased TomoTherapy, Inc. for $277 million, a UW statement said.

According to the statement, TomoTherapy has grown to include nearly 650 total employees, with 300 based in Madison.

UW researchers founded the company around innovative technology that targets precise doses of radiation to a cancerous tumor while simultaneously allowing physicians to monitor treatment with a CT scanner built into the device.

This targeted technique kills the tumor more effectively and also reduces some of the side effects commonly associated with cancer treatment. The technology is currently used in nearly 300 clinics around the world.

While the design and engineering sectors of the company will be transferred to Accuray, the physical manufacturing of the machines will continue to take place in Madison.

Carl Gulbrandsen, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation managing director, said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald that TomoTherapy was presented toWARFand issued a license prior to the sale of the company in an attempt to protect the technology.

“The technology that TomoTherapy is based on was disclosed toWARF,” Gulbrandsen said in the e-mail. “WARF patented the technology and licensed it back to the company founded by the faculty inventors.WARFalso directly invested in the company.”

Gulbrandsen said TomoTherapy is just one of the severalWARF-licensed companies that have been purchased during its existence, includingDNAtechnology and other innovations in medical technology.

While some of theWARFfunding will also be allocated to the inventors of the TomoTherapy technology and to their respective departments, another portion of the revenue generated by the sale will fund continuing research atUW, Gulbrandsen said.

The statement said the inventions and research of the UW Department of Medical Physics have previously lead to the creation of several medical technology companies which have stimulated job creation in the state.

“UW-Madison medical physics inventions are being used to diagnose and treat patients around the world,” the statement said.