On June 23, 2022 CAPS Medical, developer of a highly selective and minimally invasive non-thermal plasma (NTAP) device for cancer treatment, reported the enrollment of the first patients in a multi-center study to assess the safety and technical performance of their NTAP system in the treatment of Non Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) (Press release, CAPS Medical, JUN 23, 2022, View Source [SID1234616223]). The cancer patients in the study have been treated at Sheba Medical Center’s Urology Department. This is the first ever worldwide study for minimally invasive treatment of Bladder Cancer using Non Thermal Plasma.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) impacts 500,000 people in the U.S. alone with over 80,000 new cases added annually. NMIBC is characterized by a high recurrence rate of up to 80%, which means that in the majority of cases NMIBC is not cured. It is treated and retreated –using a Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT) procedure, which can cause scarring and damage to the bladder. This is followed by a series of intravesical instillations, which cause life-altering side effects. "We hope that CAPS Medical’s NTAP solution will help reduce the cancer recurrence rate by replacing the existing TURBT procedure while also avoiding the typical side effects, damage to the bladder and complications associated with the treatment options available today," said Prof. Zohar Dotan, Chairman of the Department of Urology and the principal investigator of the trial at the Sheba Medical Center. Sheba has been ranked by Newsweek magazine, for the fourth consecutive year, as one of the 10 top hospitals in the world
Non-thermal Atmospheric Plasmas are streams of low ionized gas at room temperature. Their efficacy in selectively destroying cancer cells while preserving surrounding healthy tissue and their ability to trigger an immunological effect and encourage the body to heal itself are well-known and have been demonstrated. To date, however, the high energy required for existing non-thermal plasma applications necessitated the use of large-sized devices. This made using non-thermal plasma to treat cancerous tumors in minimally invasive procedures unfeasible.
Overcoming these limitations, CAPS Medical is a pioneer in creating a device for NTAP delivery through a working channel of standard minimally invasive tools, making it possible to avoid surgery. "This multi-center study should demonstrate how NTAP could be painlessly and safely used to treat tumors inside the body, while preserving healthy tissue. CAPS Medical intends to continue working to improve patients’ lives through the use of this revolutionary technology which can be tailored to a variety of additional cancer types," said Ilan Uchitel, CEO and Co-Founder of CAPS Medical.
"With its NTAP system, CAPS Medical is overcoming a real barrier within the cancer treatment ecosystem. The NTAP procedure selectively targets cancer cells with greater precision-which should lead to fewer side effects than many current treatment options. We look forward to seeing the company progress through its clinical trials," said Harel Gadot, Executive Chairman of CAPS Medical and Company Group Chairman of MEDX Ventures Group.