High-frequency pulse ablation probe for heat-sensitive tumor
This technology delivers precisely timed bursts of electrical pulses at very high frequencies to destroy abnormal cells—such as cancer tumors—without generating damaging heat. By alternating the direction of the pulses rapidly (bipolar, high-frequency), it avoids the muscle contractions and nerve stimulation that plague older electroporation methods, making it safer and easier to apply in sensitive areas like the brain. The device works by disrupting cell membranes electrically until cells die, either on their own or with the help of chemotherapy drugs introduced through the same process. The result is a minimally invasive ablation approach that can target solid tumors with greater precision than thermal methods.
What you could build
A catheter-based or probe-based ablation system sold to hospitals and interventional oncology centers for treating solid tumors—particularly in surgically difficult locations like the brain—where thermal ablation or surgery carries high risk. Medical device companies and hospital systems performing neurosurgery or interventional radiology would be the primary buyers.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia hospital systems and academic medical centers with oncology or neurosurgery programs, as well as defense-adjacent biomedical device companies in Northern Virginia, would be plausible partners or licensees.
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
- Christopher B. Arena, Rafael V. Davalos, Michael B. Sano
- Granted
- July 12, 2022
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 11382681
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.