Pulsed electric field ablation system that spares healthy
This technology uses precisely timed bursts of electrical pulses to treat cancer tumors in two distinct ways simultaneously. Close to the treatment electrodes, all cells are destroyed outright. Further out in a surrounding zone, the pulse timing is tuned so that only cancer cells are selectively killed or immobilized while healthy tissue is left intact. This selective outer zone is particularly valuable for catching microscopic tumor cells that have spread beyond the visible tumor margin — the main reason many solid tumor cancers recur after surgery or ablation. The approach builds on irreversible electroporation but adds a programmable selectivity layer that existing commercial systems do not offer.
What you could build
A next-generation tumor ablation system — hardware plus a pulse-control software platform — sold to interventional oncology suites and surgical centers treating liver, kidney, lung, or pancreatic cancers where margin recurrence is a known clinical problem; device OEMs like Medtronic or AngioDynamics would be natural acquirers or licensees.
Who in Virginia should care
Inova Health System, UVA Health, and VCU Health all operate active interventional oncology programs and would be natural clinical partners; Virginia-based medical device contract manufacturers could support prototype development.
Readiness: Lab validated
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
- Michael B. Sano, Christopher B. Arena, Scott S. Verbridge, Rafael V. Davalos
- Granted
- August 9, 2022
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 11406820
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.