ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HistoSonics, Inc., a venture-backed medical device company developing a new image-guided, robotically assisted, platform therapy that is non-invasive and non-thermal, announced two significant developments today.  

Presentations at WCIO 2017

Researchers from the University of Michigan (U-M) and the University of Wisconsin (U-W) will present exciting results of preclinical studies, done in collaboration with HistoSonics, at the World Conference on Interventional Oncology (WCIO) in Boston, MA this week.

Four presentations about HistoSonics' Robotically Assisted Sonic Therapy (RAST™), as well as the underlying science (known as histotripsy), will be presented:

• The University of Wisconsin's Amanda Smolock, MD, PhD, will discuss recently completed preclinical research, sponsored by HistoSonics, in her talk "Robotically Assisted Sonic Therapy (RAST) for Non-Invasive Liver Ablation in a Porcine Animal Model," highlighting the potential future role for RAST in interventional oncology (IO).  
• The University of Wisconsin's Katherine Longo, MD, will present a poster entitled "Robotically Assisted Sonic Therapy (RAST): A Non-Invasive, Non-Thermal Ablation Modality. How it Works, Treatment Application, Post Ablation Imaging and Histopathology." Dr. Longo's poster will demonstrate the feasibility of RAST for a safe and effective hepatic ablation in a preclinical model.
• University of Michigan Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and HistoSonics Co-Founder Zhen Xu, PhD, will present a poster entitled "Underlying Mechanism of Histotripsy -- A Novel Noninvasive Image-Guided Focused Ultrasound Tumor Ablation Modality," which highlights the mechanisms of RAST and its potential to improve upon current methods of tumor intervention.
• University of Michigan Research Fellow Eli Vlaisavljevich, PhD, will present a poster titled "Robotically Assisted Sonic Therapy (RAST) for Non-Invasive Liver Cancer Ablation in an In Vivo Murine Model," demonstrating the potential for RAST to be used for non-invasive liver tumor ablation.

Now in its twelfth year, WCIO was created to "establish, nurture and support interventional oncology (IO) as the fourth pillar of cancer therapy alongside medical, surgical and radiation oncology worldwide," according to WCIO Chair Jeff Geschwind, MD.  The planned presentations to leading interventional oncologists and others in the IO community will help lay the groundwork for RAST's future use in treating a wide range of soft tissue tumors, including liver, kidney, pancreas and brain.

"Our mission is to develop a new platform in cancer care that is non-invasive, requiring no needles or incisions, is extremely effective and precise, provides for quick recovery and minimal disruption to the patient's life, and is affordable for all," said Mr. Blue.  "Worldwide, cancer has the biggest economic impact of any cause of death, and together with the IO community, we are confident that we can make a difference." 

Commenting on the presentations, HistoSonics' Senior Medical Advisor and ablation thought leader Dr. Fred Lee added, "The pre-clinical work presented on RAST at this year's WCIO offers great promise for the future of this new platform.  The potential of a non-invasive modality that can deliver the types of ablations we are seeing in the animal lab is extremely exciting."

Two Key Executives Join Company

HistoSonics also announced today the appointment of two medical device industry executives to key roles on the company's expanding management team. Stryker's Robin Rowe will serve as Vice President of Clinical, Quality and Regulatory, and serial entrepreneur Akhil Tripathi, PhD, will serve as Vice President of Global Strategic Development.

Ms. Rowe will be based in Michigan, while Dr. Tripathi will be based in Europe. Both executives will report directly to HistoSonics CEO & President Mike Blue, who joined HistoSonics in January 2017 after serving as an executive at two successful interventional oncology device startups, NeuWave Medical (acquired by Johnson & Johnson) and superDimension (acquired by Covidien).

"We are extremely excited about the addition of Robin and Akhil to our HistoSonics' leadership team," said Mr. Blue. "Their backgrounds and experience uniquely fit the skill sets required to help us execute on our global strategy."

About HistoSonics

HistoSonics, Inc. was created to advance the development of histotripsy, a revolutionary science discovered and developed by leading scientists at the University of Michigan to provide improved therapies for patients. Our exclusive license to intellectual property, significant financial support and strategic partnerships have helped HistoSonics develop Robotically Assisted Sonic Therapy (RAST™), a non-invasive, non-thermal approach to cancer care that is based on the science of histotripsy, using pulsed sound energy for the precise destruction of targeted tissues. HistoSonics' team of experienced specialists and industry leaders is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.histosonics.com.

SOURCE HistoSonics, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.histosonics.com