ATLANTA – Emory University has been designated the “Stalking Horse Bidder” by a federal bankruptcy court to purchase the assets of Emory Proton Therapy Center — following recent legal filings by the center’s owner, Georgia ProtonCare Center, Inc. (GPCC). GPCC filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, which facilitates restructuring to permit continued operations, on Jan. 22, 2026.

The designation of Stalking Horse Bidder signals Emory’s material benefit and commitment to GPCC, as well as its good faith negotiations for the purchase of the Emory Proton Therapy Center through the bankruptcy proceedings. It also offers Emory certain bid protections as part of the proceedings, which the court found were fair, reasonable and appropriate.

Physicians from the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and staff from Emory Healthcare provide patient care at the Emory Proton Therapy Center. However, the facility’s building, land, and medical equipment are owned by GPCC. As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, Emory submitted a bid to acquire the center’s assets, which include:

• A 107,500 square foot building and adjacent parking deck
• 2.39 acres of land
• A 90-ton cyclotron that generates proton particles for precision cancer treatment, along with five treatment rooms and additional imaging equipment

“Our mission at Emory Proton Therapy Center, the only proton therapy center in Georgia, is to serve patients throughout metro Atlanta, the Southeast and beyond with innovative cancer care and research, powered by some of the most advanced cancer-fighting technology available,” says Bree Eaton, MD, associate professor in the department of radiation oncology at Emory, who is serving as the medical director of the Emory Proton Therapy Center. “We provide seamless patient-centered care to those we serve in a setting designed around healing and support.”

Emory Proton Therapy Center opened its doors in December 2018 and is located within a city block of Emory University Hospital Midtown and Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Midtown. The center treats approximately 100 patients per day, having now treated more than 5,800 patients during its seven years in operation.

Proton therapy is an extremely precise form of radiation treatment using positively charged proton particles to deliver radiation to targeted tumors. Using pencil beam scanning, the technology delivers the radiation dose in a fine stream, matching the tumor’s exact size, shape and depth. This level of accuracy helps protect nearby healthy tissue and critical organs.

says Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, the Lawrence W. Davis Professor and chair of the department of radiation oncology at Emory. “As an internationally recognized facility, Emory Proton Therapy Center is here to support our community and our region with expertise and compassionate care.”

The bankruptcy court set a deadline of March 6, 2026, for the submission of Letters of Intent (LOIs) from other interested purchasers, as well as other dates relevant to the bankruptcy proceedings.