Cell-specific IRE treatment planning software for precision
This technology creates personalized treatment plans for a cancer-killing technique called irreversible electroporation (IRE), which destroys tumor cells using precisely calibrated electrical pulses. Instead of applying a one-size-fits-all electrical dosage, the system first analyzes specific biological characteristics of the target cells — such as size, membrane properties, or tissue type — and then calculates the exact electric field strength needed to kill those particular cells. From that calculation, it constructs a customized pulse protocol (timing, voltage, duration) and delivers it. The result is a smarter, more targeted ablation treatment that could reduce damage to surrounding healthy tissue while improving tumor kill rates.
What you could build
A software-driven treatment planning platform integrated with IRE ablation hardware that automatically computes patient- and tumor-specific pulse protocols before each procedure; primary buyers would be interventional oncology departments at hospitals and cancer centers, and medical device companies manufacturing IRE systems seeking to differentiate their platforms.
Who in Virginia should care
Inova Health System, UVA Health, and VCU Health all have active interventional oncology programs that could serve as clinical partners or early adopters; Virginia-based medtech firms could license the planning software layer.
Readiness: Concept
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, Christopher B. Arena
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed April 3, 2023
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20230355293A1
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.