Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin establishes MagForce NanoTherm therapy center for treatment of tumors

Jul 8 2011

Nanostart (OTCQX: NASRY) subsidiary MagForce Nanotechnologies AG (FSE: MF6), a leading medical technology company focusing on nanomedicine in oncology, announced that the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin published the establishment of its NanoTherm therapy center for the treatment of recurrent brain tumors.

“We are pursuing the further development of NanoTherm therapy for the treatment of prostate and pancreatic carcinomas. NanoTherm therapy has enormous therapeutic potential to treat a variety of solid tumors, and we are just at the beginning.”

The principle of the therapy is the use of nanoparticles containing iron oxide, which are injected into brain tumor in a procedure similar to a biopsy. The treatment is carried out in a magnetic field applicator (NanoActivator), a machine that produces an alternating magnetic field and is very safe for humans. Through this high frequency magnetic field, the nanoparticles begin to oscillate and heat is produced from directly within the tumor tissue. Depending on the temperature reached and length of treatment, the tumor cells are either directly destroyed or sensitized for the accompanying chemotherapy or radiation. This novel therapy has the potential to improve the survival for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, an especially malignant type of brain tumor.

"I am pleased that we have accomplished this first step in making NanoTherm therapy available to brain tumor patients," said Dr. Peter Heinrich, CEO of MagForce. "There have been many challenges associated with introducing a completely new therapeutic approach to the medical community; therefore, the initial rollout has taken longer than expected. Our sales team is active throughout Germany and currently in discussion with leading medical institutions to establish additional treatment centers. We are also working to make the therapy internationally available."

Dr. Andreas Jordan, CSO and founder of MagForce added, "We are pursuing the further development of NanoTherm therapy for the treatment of prostate and pancreatic carcinomas. NanoTherm therapy has enormous therapeutic potential to treat a variety of solid tumors, and we are just at the beginning."

Marco Beckmann, CEO of Nanostart AG, commented: "Now that our subsidiary MagForce's therapy is available at the Charité, this marks the start of the long-awaited commercialization of this new type of cancer therapy based on nanotechnology. We congratulate the MagForce team."