SCANNED, FOCUSED ULTRASOUND HYPERTHERMIA SYSTEM

HYPERTHERMIA, ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH CHEMOTHERAPY AND/OR RADIATION, IS RAPIDLY EMERGING AS AN EFFECTIVE MODALITY FOR CANCER THERAPY. IT IS GENERALLY AGREED THAT AMONG THE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TECHNIQUES, SCANNED, INTENSITY-MODULATED ULTRASOUND (SIMFU) HAS THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR LOCALIZED HEATING OF DEEP TUMORS IN MOST ANATOMICAL LOCATIONS. BASED ON CLINICAL RESULTS OBTAINED FROM APPROXIMATELY 200 CANCER PATIENTS AT THE HARVARD-MIT HYPERTHERMIA CENTER WITH THE PROTOTYPE SIMFU RESEARCH SYSTEM, THERE IS CONSIDERABLE DEMAND FOR A CLINICAL SIMFU SYSTEM WITH COMPARABLE PERFORMANCE. USING THE WELL-DOCUMENTED SIMFU SYSTEM AS THE BASIC MODEL, THE MAJOR GOAL OF THIS PHASE I PROJECT IS TO INVESTIGATE THEFEASIBILITY OF DESIGNING A COMMERCIALLY VIABLE, SCANNED, FOCUSED ULTRASOUND HYPERTHERMIA SYSTEM THAT IS COST EFFECTIVE, CAN BE ROUTINELY ADMINISTERED IN THE CLINICAL SETTING, IS CAPABLE OF TREATING A WIDE VARIETY OF TUMORS, AND IS RELIABLE AND UPGRADABLE. THE EXISTING SIMFU HYPERTHERMIA SYSTEM CURRENTLY IS USE AT THE HYPERTHERMIA CENTER HAS EVOLVED DEVELOPMENTALLY OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS INA RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT. CONSEQUENTLY, IT IS COMPLEX, COSTLY, AND DIFFICULT TO OPERATE. PHASE I FUNDING IS REQUIRED TO DEVELOP THE SPECIFICATIONS NECESSARY FOR STANDARDIZED CLINICAL USE.