USPTO issues Notice of Allowance to Sanovas’ nested balloon catheter

Nov 20 2012

Sanovas, Inc., a life science technology company focused on developing and commercializing the next-generation of micro-invasive diagnostics, devices and drug delivery technologies, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for the company's nested balloon catheter for localized drug delivery, a component of Sanovas' Vas Zeppelin™ Smart Catheter technology portfolio. The patent covers a unique minimally invasive system and method for delivering diagnostic and therapeutic agents to small diameter anatomy in the lungs and throughout the body.  

"This patent is an important milestone in the protection of the company's proprietary drug delivery technologies," said Erhan Gunday, chief technology officer and co-founder of Sanovas. "With more than 45 patents and patents pending, Sanovas has built a strong IP portfolio for our micro-invasive diagnostics, devices and drug delivery technologies that poise to significantly advance the way pulmonary diseases, such as lung cancer, are detected and treated."

The nested balloon catheter patent, written by Sanovas founders Erhan Gunday and Larry Gerrans, will protect an integral part of the company's NanoVas™ drug delivery technology. The ability of new drug delivery systems, such as the nested balloon catheter for localized drug delivery, to deliver targeted, tumor-specific treatments, holds the potential for overcoming one of the greatest hurdles to chemotherapy – systemic toxicity.

"As we advance the science of personalized medicine, the ability to deliver customized immune and gene therapy will transform the way cancer and chronic disease are treated. Sanovas is proud to be at the forefront of these significant advances," Gerrans said.

Sanovas' Vas Zeppelin™ Smart Catheter technology portfolio is designed to access, image, measure and diagnose anatomy in small airways and vessels residing at, or below, three millimeters in diameter. Featuring the world's smallest surgical camera, the Vas Zeppelin™ allows the removal of tumors and other obstructions and enables the local delivery of drug and immune therapies to patients suffering from lung cancer and related pulmonary and vascular diseases.