HistoSonics announced today the first kidney patient has been treated using the Company’s histotripsy platform. The procedure was performed in Leeds, UK, by Professor Tze Min Wah, Senior Consultant Radiologist and Clinical Lead for Interventional Oncology Program at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK. This procedure marks the initial treatment in the HistoSonics sponsored “CAIN” Trial which is a Phase I prospective, multi-center study designed to evaluate the safety and technical success of the Company’s histotripsy system in targeting and destroying primary solid renal tumors, completely non-invasively and without the need for incisions or needles. The trial is named in honor of Charles Cain PhD, former Chair of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, co-inventor of histotripsy, and co-founder of HistoSonics, who passed away in March of 2020.
“This first treatment is a significant milestone for the Company as it represents expansion into our second active clinical application (after liver) and supports our mission to deliver histotripsy to patients who may potentially benefit from its unique capabilities,” commented Mike Blue, President, and CEO of HistoSonics. Blue added, “Our goal is to enable physicians to precisely target and destroy kidney tumors with our novel, noninvasive solution, avoiding the morbidity and complications seen with current invasive surgery or ablative techniques.”
Current kidney therapies such as partial nephrectomy and thermal ablation are invasive and exhibit complications from bleeding and infection that non-invasive histotripsy may avoid. While surgical intervention is the “gold standard” in removing kidney tumors, a non-invasive approach with histotripsy provides the potential to destroy targeted tissue without damaging non-targeted kidney tissue. Additionally, histotripsy’s purely mechanical mechanism of cellular destruction could preserve function of the kidney’s urine collecting system and eliminate certain complications seen with existing invasive approaches.
Professor Tze Min Wah commented, “I was delighted to lead the clinical team in carrying out this world’s first kidney tumor treatment using histotripsy and a real privilege to have the trust of the patient and their family in translating this innovative technology into our clinic. The CAIN Trial represents a significant milestone for treatment of solid renal tumors with histotripsy as a needle-less technology and is a paradigm shift from this point onwards.”
HistoSonics’ image guided sonic beam therapy system uses advanced imaging and proprietary sensing technology to deliver non-invasive, personalized treatments with precision and control. The science of histotripsy uses focused sound energy to produce controlled acoustic cavitation that mechanically destroys and liquifies targeted tissue at sub-cellular levels. The company believes that the novel mechanism of action of their proprietary technology provides significant advantages to patients, including the ability of the treatment site to recover and resorb quickly. Uniquely, the HistoSonics’ platform also provides physicians the ability to monitor the destruction of tissue under continuous real-time visualization and control, unlike any modality that exists today.
HistoSonics histotripsy systems are not currently available for sale. Any use is limited to clinical investigations. The HistoSonics Edison™ System is pending FDA review for a destruction of liver tissue indication. The CAIN Trial is expected to support a future expansion of the indication to include the destruction of kidney tissue.
Caution: Federal law (USA) restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.
The Edison® System is intended for the non-invasive mechanical destruction of liver tumors, including the partial or complete destruction of unresectable liver tumors via histotripsy. The FDA has not evaluated the Edison System for the treatment of any disease including, but not limited to, cancer or evaluated any specific cancer outcomes (such as local tumor progression, 5-year survival or overall survival). The System should only be used by persons who have completed training performed by HistoSonics, and its use guided by the clinical judgment of an appropriately trained physician. Refer to the device Instructions for Use for a complete list of warnings, precautions and a summary of clinical trial results, including reported adverse events.
