Electroporation-based brain tumor ablation and drug delivery
This technology uses precisely controlled electrical pulses delivered through a probe to destroy tumor cells in the brain without generating damaging heat. The pulses alternate in polarity and are carefully calibrated to stay below 100°C, killing cancer cells through electrical disruption rather than burning. A key side effect — disruption of the blood-brain barrier — can be leveraged to improve drug delivery to brain tumors, a notoriously difficult clinical challenge. The approach leaves behind a structural tissue scaffold, which may support post-treatment recovery or further therapeutic intervention.
What you could build
A minimally invasive neurosurgical ablation system for treating brain tumors using non-thermal irreversible electroporation, sold to academic medical centers and neurosurgery practices; it could also be positioned as a platform to enhance localized drug delivery to the brain in combination with chemotherapy.
Who in Virginia should care
Inova Health System, UVA Health, and Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center are active neurosurgical and oncology programs that would be natural clinical partners or early adopters.
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, Paulo A. Garcia, John L. Robertson, John H. Rossmeisl, Robert E. Neal II
- Granted
- August 13, 2024
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 12059197
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.