Electroporation device that opens blood-brain barrier for
This technology uses precisely controlled electrical pulses to open the blood-brain barrier and kill tumor cells in the brain, a technique called electroporation. By delivering targeted electrical energy through implanted or applied electrodes, the system can disrupt the protective membrane around tumor cells, causing them to die without relying on heat. A built-in cooling mechanism protects surrounding healthy tissue from thermal damage during the procedure. The approach can be tuned between reversible disruption—temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier to let drugs through—and irreversible disruption, which kills tumor cells outright.
What you could build
A neurosurgical device system—comprising electrodes, a pulse generator, and an integrated cooling apparatus—for treating primary brain tumors; the likely buyers are neurosurgery departments at major hospital systems and academic medical centers, with a secondary market in neuro-oncology drug companies seeking a delivery mechanism to get therapeutics past the blood-brain barrier.
Who in Virginia should care
Academic medical centers and neurosurgery programs in Virginia (e.g., UVA Health, VCU Health) would be natural early clinical partners; Virginia-based defense and government health contractors focused on traumatic brain injury could also have adjacent interest.
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, Paulo A. Garcia, John L. Robertson, John H. Rossmeisl, Robert E. Neal II
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed July 9, 2024
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20250000569A1
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.