First Human Trials for MRI-guided Trans-urethral Ultrasound Technique for Prostate Cancer: Profound Medical Inc.

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The first human proof-of-concept study has begun at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada.

Supported by an independent research grant, research scientists at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, led by Chief of Urology, Dr Laurence Klotz, MD, have successfully begun the first human, proof-of-concept study for treating prostate cancer using their novel MRI-guided, trans-urethral ultrasound technique.

After extensive testing of the technology in mathematical, gel, and pre-clinical models, the potential new treatment is now undergoing trials in a number of patient volunteers to affirm its safety, accuracy, and precision.

The core intellectual property from this technology has been exclusively licensed to Profound Medical Inc. of Toronto, Canada, to accelerate commercialization under the guidance of the FDA and Health Canada.

“We commend the team at Sunnybrook for their exemplary research and clinical work. It’s a significant moment in the company’s history, as well as potentially having a major impact on how prostate cancer patients may be treated in the next decade. We can expect to proceed as planned with human clinical feasibility trials in the USA and Canada in the near future with our medical device,” stated Paul Chipperton, CEO of PMI.

Profound Medical Inc – Corporate Profile

Profound Medical Inc., founded in June 2008, is a privately held medical-device company dedicated to developing a novel treatment for prostate cancer and to delivering the fas, least invasive, and best quality-of-life outcomes for patients with this disease. A spin-off of the world-class Sunnybrook Imaging Research group in Toronto, Profound Medical retains the IP, tacit knowledge, and cutting-edge research of their leading scientists, while supplementing the team with seasoned medical-device developers. The resulting integrated system will soon enter human clinical safety trials in the USA and Canada.

There are major quality-of-life issues with all existing approaches to prostate cancer. Due primarily to over-treatment, levels of post-operative impotence and incontinence are currently unacceptable.

Profound’s interventional MRI-guided, trans-urethral ultrasound medical device provides the least invasive treatment, in the shor possible time, as an out-patient procedure, offering incomparable accuracy and precision.

Furthermore, the accuracy of this device offers surgeons and patients unparalleled treatment-planning options: from matching the existing radical prostatectomy “gold standard” of treating a whole prostate, to leading the next generation of focal therapy in which clinicians will target only the diseased areas, leaving much of the remaining healthy gland uncompromised and fully functional.

www.profoundmedical.com