CRYOTHERAPY PROBE FOR BREAST TUMORS

最近乳腺癌早期发现和越来越保守的治疗方法的趋势导致了冷冻治疗方法的初步探索。冷冻手术有助于确保手术切缘清晰。冷冻外科方法是微创的，以最小的疤痕而闻名，因此非常有吸引力。然而，目前的冷冻治疗探头刺穿肿瘤包膜增加了癌细胞扩散的风险，并且由于热损伤的风险，它们在敏感组织附近操作的能力受到限制。拟议的冷冻治疗探头可以保护附近敏感的组织不被冻结，测量实际达到的温度，控制冻结区的大小，并可以在不刺穿胶囊的情况下插入肿瘤旁边。在第一阶段，将制造一个原理验证探针并在体外进行测试。在第二阶段，将建造一个原型探头，并在临床环境中进行活体测试。拟议的商业应用：拟议的冷冻治疗探头具有很强的商业潜力。我们的商业化战略是基于将根据该计划开发的技术授权给现有的医疗设备供应商。

The recent trends toward early detection and increasingly conservative treatments for breast cancer have led to initial exploration of cryotherapeutic approaches. Cryolumpectomies help to ensure clear surgical margins. Cryosurgical approaches are minimally invasive and known for minimal scarring, thus are highly appealing. Current cryotherapy probes, however, puncture the tumor capsule increasing the risk of spreading cancerous cells and are limited in their ability to operate near sensitive tissues due to the risk of thermal injury. The proposed cryotherapy probe protects sensitive nearby tissues from freezing, measures the actual temperatures achieved, controls the size of the freeze zone and can be inserted alongside the tumor without puncturing the capsule. In Phase I, a proof-of-principle probe will be fabricated and tested in vitro. In Phase II, a prototype probe will be built and tested in vivo in a clinical setting. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The proposed cryotherapy probe has strong commercial potential. Our commercialization strategy is based on licensing the technology developed under this program to an existing vendor of medical equipment.