Local Hyperthermia Catheter for Enhanced Ablation and Cancer Therapy

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this Phase I SBIR Grant Proposal is to develop a new device and methodology for local elevation of a target tissue's temperature prior to a planned thermal ablation, a process we've dubbed hyperablation . In preliminary work we demonstrated that raising the pre-treated temperature of a target tissue by 100C resulted in a 60% increase in volumetric ablation size. Others have shown the benefits of embolization or other methods to decrease convective cooling from blood flow prior to an ablation procedure. The proposed hyperablation device would provide a unique way to accomplish both strategies and should lead to a significant increase in thermal ablation efficiency. Application of this technology may go beyond ablation and prove useful in a number of areas where hyperthermia is being investigated such as heat- activated liposomal chemotherapy, regional chemotherapy, and hyperthermia-enhanced radiation procedures. We will seek input from clinical collaborators and perform modeling simulations to guide the design of the hyperthermia catheter. We will source materials, fabricate prototypes, and test the device in a benchtop setup using physiologic conditions and tissue samples. Finally, we will work with clinical experts in interventional radiology to test the device in a large animal model and evaluate the performance and potential benefits of this treatment approach in the context of thermal ablation in the liver. At the end of this project, we will have determined the feasibility of creating local hyperthermia with this device and understand the potential benefits and applications for this approach. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The goal of this Phase I SBIR Grant proposal is to develop a novel catheter technology capable of inducing local hyperthermia and halting blood flow prior to an ablation procedure. The system will be useful for enhancing ablation zone size and may find application with other chemotherapy and radiation based protocols. This proposal is focused on design, fabrication, and testing of a prototype device in benchtop and pilot animal studies