Real-time tissue-response sensor for ablation procedures
This technology is a real-time monitoring system for procedures that destroy unwanted tissue — such as tumor ablation — by measuring the electrical properties of tissue as treatment is delivered. It uses a flexible sensor probe placed near the treatment site that reads impedance at two different frequencies simultaneously, which reveals how much cell damage has occurred and whether the treated zone is the right size and shape. The system pairs the sensing probe with the treatment probe, a signal analyzer, and power electronics that keep the monitoring signal separate from the high-voltage treatment energy. This gives clinicians live feedback during the procedure rather than relying on post-procedure imaging to guess whether the job was done.
What you could build
A disposable or reusable sensor add-on compatible with existing ablation catheters or probes — sold to hospitals and interventional radiology or oncology centers — that provides live tissue-response data on a bedside display during tumor ablation or irreversible electroporation procedures.
Who in Virginia should care
Inova Health System, UVA Health, and VCU Health perform interventional oncology and ablation procedures and would be natural clinical validation partners; medtech device companies in the Northern Virginia and Richmond corridors are plausible commercialization partners.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- RAFAEL V. DAVALOS, MOHAMMAD BONAKDAR, EDUARDO L. LATOUCHE, ROOP L. MAHAJAN, JOHN L. ROBERTSON, CHRISTOPHER B. ARENA, MICHAEL B. SANO
- Granted
- June 30, 2020
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 10694972
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.