Jul 30 2012
At the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Annual
Meeting yesterday, Russell J. Hamilton, PhD, Professor and Physics
Section Head, University of Arizona Department of Radiation Oncology,
reviewed dosimetry data for a minimally invasive episcleral
brachytherapy device developed by Salutaris
Medical Devices, Inc. (SalutarisMD™) to treat Wet AMD (Age-related
Macular Degeneration), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness.
Dr. Hamilton described dose rate data for the Sr-90/Y-90 source used in
the SalutarisMD investigational medical device, which permits accurate
delivery of a therapeutic radiation dose for the treatment of Wet AMD.
Dr. Hamilton explained the potential advantages: "The device provides a
simple and robust way to reliably deliver a therapeutic dose of
radiation to treat Wet AMD with very low complication risk. Furthermore,
the procedure may be expeditiously performed in an office-based setting."
The device allows the application of radiation therapy through the
posterior sclera, avoiding the need for more invasive vitreous surgery.
The investigational device is designed to enable retina specialists to
administer therapy using a practical procedure that may be performed in
the same clinical setting as the present standard of care (a physician's
office or other outpatient facility) and potentially reduces the need
for anti-VEGF injections.
Placement and treatment are easily performed under local anesthesia in
approximately 15 minutes. Episcleral placement allows for consistent,
stable and repeatable control of the distance to the target tissue
without violating the intraocular space. Utilizing this minimally
invasive technology, the retina specialist delivers an accurate dose of
radiation through the sclera to the neovascular target in the
subchoroidal space. This device is distinguished by its precision,
lesion-specific targeting, which enables the retina specialist to
deliver precisely localized tissue irradiation, customized for each
patient.
Michael Voevodsky, President and CEO of SalutarisMD, said, "We are
pleased that we were selected to present our technology in this forum.
Our investigational therapy and its effective use of radiation for
treating Wet AMD have the potential to improve the quality of life for
persons suffering from this debilitating disease. We are excited about
the prospect of conducting additional clinical trials to further test
our approach."
Source:
Salutaris Medical Devices, Inc.
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