SBIR Phase I: Continuous Tissue Acquisition for Detection and Treatment of Barrett's Esophagus

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）一期项目旨在开发一种专有的组织采集技术，用于Barrett？s食道（BE）。巴雷特?S是慢性胃酸反流(?胃灼热？食管腺癌（GERD）是已知的食道腺癌的前兆。如果BE患者得到适当的监测和治疗，这种毁灭性癌症的发展机会可以最小化。监测是通过不同时间间隔的连续活组织检查完成的。这些间隔是由内窥镜下观察到的发育不良组织的存在和类型决定的，通过收集组织样本来诊断。目前，在内窥镜下使用活检钳的方法只有30%的检出率，除非遵循严格的方案，但是由于该方案的艰巨性质，该方案很少使用。正在开发的技术将通过为医生提供一种设备来提高护理标准，该设备可以达到推荐方案的检出率（超过70%），并且具有高效，易于使用的替代方案，而无需支付正在开发的新型高科技可视化技术的费用。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力包括通过提高这种癌前病变患者的检出率来改善患者护理。当患者发展为腺癌时，这种情况的发病率非常高，治疗方法呢？手术和化疗？都是非常耗费体力和昂贵的。食管癌的发病率随着肥胖的存在而增加，特别是在美国，食管癌已成为增长最快的癌症，但通过更好的筛查和早期治疗可以将发病率降到最低

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is directed to the development of a proprietary, tissue- harvesting technology for endoscopic biopsy of the esophagus in the setting of Barrett?s Esophagus (BE). Barrett?s is a result of chronic acid reflux (?heartburn? or GERD) and is a known precursor of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. If patients with BE are monitored and treated appropriately the chance of the development of this devastating cancer can be minimized. Monitoring is done by serial biopsies at various time intervals. These intervals are determined by the presence and type of dysplastic tissue seen with an endoscope, which is diagnosed by collecting tissue samples. The method of using biopsy forceps through an endoscope as practiced currently has a detection rate of only 30% unless a rigorous protocol is followed, however this protocol is used infrequently because of the arduous nature of that protocol. The technology being developed will improve the standard of care by providing physicians with a device that achieves the detection rate (over 70%) of the recommended protocol with an efficient, easy to use alternative, without the expense of the new high tech visualization technologies under development.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project includes the improved patient care by enhancing the detection rate of patients with this pre-cancerous condition. When a patient progresses to having adenocarcinoma, the morbidity for that condition is very high and the treatment ? surgical and chemotherapies ? are very physical debilitating and costly. The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is increased with the presence of obesity, which has become epidemic especially in the U.S. Esophageal carcinoma has become the fastest growing cancer but the incidence can be minimized by better screening and early treatment