SBIR Phase II: Microwave ablation system for creating precision directed ablation zones

The broader/commercial impact of this SBIR Phase II project proposes continued development of a directional microwave ablation (MWA) system. During MWA, doctors use image guidance to insert a thin needle-like applicator into a target tumor and then energize the microwave antenna embedded in the applicator’s tip to heat and kill the tumor. MWA is especially important to the large population of cancer patients who are poor candidates for surgery or other physically demanding therapies, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, due to tumor location or poor health. All currently available MWA systems are only capable of producing a roughly spherical or teardrop-shaped treatment zone centered on the axis of the applicator, which is not suitable for treating tumors located near critical anatomy or irregularly shaped targets. This limitation often leaves doctors with a difficult choice of risking undertreatment and disease recurrence or risking overtreatment and damage to critical healthy anatomy that may cause pain or life-threatening complications. Directional MWA would allow the physician to instead place the applicator alongside the tumor and direct heat toward the target and away from nearby sensitive tissues. New clinical techniques enabled by directional MWA could facilitate faster, safer, more effective, and lower cost treatment of localized tumors, and potentially broaden the range of diseases that could be treated in a minimally invasive manner. As microwave antennas typically require physically large structures to achieve a high degree of directivity, developing a small diameter (