Researchers at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University have developed a microfluidic chip that can recreate some of the features of radiation-induced lung injury. The lungs are very sensitive to radiation, and this can limit the application of radiotherapy to treat cancer. Accurately modeling radiation-induced lung injury could assist in developing new methods to prevent […]
Tag: Radiation Oncology
Alpha TAU Killing Tumors With Highly Targeted Alpha Radiation
Radiation is commonly employed in hospitals around the world to treat tumors, typically using gamma ray beams of high energy photons, with a relatively long range, that penetrate all the tissues on the way to and from the tumor. This leads to substantial damage to healthy tissues and too often results in poor outcomes. An […]
MRI-Guided Magnetic Seeds Heat and Destroy Tumors
Scientists at University College London have developed a highly targeted anti-tumor treatment. The approach involves guiding ferromagnetic thermoseeds to the site of a tumor using the magnetic fields generated by an MRI scanner. The magnetic seeds can then destroy the tumor through localized heating that is induced by an MR-compatible thermoablative device. The technique is […]
3D Printed Shields Protect Guts During Radiotherapy
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and MIT have developed 3D printed shields to protect the gastrointestinal tract from the side effects of radiotherapy. Using CT scans, the devices can be custom printed to suit each patient’s anatomy. The materials they’re made of contain high atomic number elements that help to shield tissues from gamma […]
Radiotherapy to Prevent Recurrence Post Brain Tumor Excision: Interview with Matthew Likens, President and CEO of GT Medical
GT Medical Technologies, a company based in Arizona, has developed the FDA-approved GammaTile system, which can provide localized radiation therapy for brain tumor excision sites. Its goal is to reduce tumor recurrence and enhance patient survival. The treatment consists of radiation seeds encased in a collagen substrate. These are easy to place at the excision […]
Synthetic Melanin Protects from Radiation Damage
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a new biomaterial, selenomelanin, that can help protect people from radiation. The new substance, chemically synthesized and produced by bacteria, helps protect cells from radiation more effectively than other forms of melanin. One day, it may be used in sunscreens, medical treatments, or for long-term spaceflight as a radioprotective […]
Noona Cloud Tool for Cancer Patients: Interview with Jani Ahonala, VP, Global Patient Outcomes, Varian Medical
Varian Medical Systems, based in Palo Alto, California, has announced that its Noona mobile service now has some new features, some of which are a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Noona is a cloud-based system that allows cancer patients to connect with their clinicians and clinics. Patients can record their symptoms and proactively manage […]
RefleXion X1 Cleared to Deliver Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery in U.S.
RefleXion Medical, a company based outside of Oakland, California, won FDA clearance for its RefleXion X1 machine to be used for stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The X1 brings together fan-beam CT imaging and a linear accelerator inside a gantry that can spin up to 60 times faster […]
Ethos AI-Powered Radiotherapy System Follows Movement of Tumors
Varian has won FDA clearance for its Ethos therapy technology, which the company describes as an Adaptive Intelligence solution for improved tumor targeting during radiotherapy. Adaptive therapy allows clinicians to target tumors based on imaging performed during treatment sessions. This is important, as the internal anatomy tends to shift and tumors can move away from […]
GammaTiles Help Prevent Recurrence of Malignant Brain Tumors After Surgery
GT Medical Technologies, a company based in Tempe, Arizona, won FDA clearance for its GammaTiles to be used to prevent malignant brain tumors in newly diagnosed patients. The devices, about the size of a postage stamp, contain Cesium-131, a radioactive isotope with a half life of about ten days. The collagen material within which the […]
FDA Clears Two New Radiotherapy Planning CTs from Siemens
Procedure planning is an important part of radiation therapy in order to achieve optimal tumor reduction without damaging too much healthy tissue. Two newly FDA-cleared radiation therapy planning CT scanners from Siemens Healthineers are coming to America. The SOMATOM go.Sim and SOMATOM go.Open Pro are part of the company’s SOMATOM.go platform, designed to achieve the […]
Deep Learning Spots Organs on CT Scans to Prevent Radiation Damage
Radiotherapy is a well established method for attacking tumors within the body. There are a number of techniques that are used to administer radiation to a lesion, but they all come with the risk of injuring nearby tissues and organs. Gamma beams and other directed high energy devices result in the exposure of all the […]
Siemens Healthineers Unveils Two New Radiotherapy Planning CT Scanners
Siemens Healthineers unveiled two new CT scanners specifically designed for radiation therapy planning. The SOMATOM go.Sim and SOMATOM go.Open Pro are 64-slice and 128-slice devices, respectively, and feature an 85 cm opening suitable for larger patients. To make patient prep easier and faster, the scanners come with an optional DirectLasers system mounted on top of […]
Future of Robotics in Healthcare: Interview with Corey Ryan of Kuka Laboratories
As the manager of Medical Robotics at KUKA Robotics, Corey Ryan is at the helm of company’s research, sales, and growth in the medical sector for North America. Under his leadership, KUKA has diversified its expertise to grow its relationships with startups and expand its robotic applications. Corey is a sought after speaker and has […]
Method Makes PET Tracers out of Common Biomolecules
Researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed new radioactive tracers to track pharmaceuticals in the body and to image cancer. The findings, reported in journal Science, describe the new chemistry they have developed, along with data that demonstrate that the team was able to radioactively tag compounds that have […]
Xcision GammaPod High Precision Breast Cancer Radiotherapy Cleared in Europe
Xcision, a company out of Columbia, Maryland, won EU regulatory clearance to introduce its GammaPod stereotactic radiotherapy system. The device is used to help treat breast cancer, and the technology within it may help to make treatments faster and more accurate compared to existing radiotherapy systems. The system relies on a special breast cup, within […]
FluoroShield Reduces Radiation Exposure from Fluoroscopes, Gets FDA Clearance
Radiation reduction continues to be an important goal in electrophysiology labs, cath labs, and other interventional rooms. To advance this mission, the FDA just gave clearance to Omega Medical Imaging, a company out of Sanford, Florida, for its FluoroShield radiation exposure reduction system. The FluoroShield uses a very fast collimator coupled with a bunch of […]
ARIS MD Automatic Tissue Segmentation in Virtual and Augmented Reality: Aris MD at CES 2019
Medical imaging technologies have come a long way over the decades. They offer greater visual detail, but all that data often makes it difficult to see and understand the anatomy being studied. At CES 2019 we met with ARIS MD, a company that was introducing its 3D visualization technology that can automatically identify different organs, […]
Elekta Unity High-Field MRI/Linac System Cleared in U.S.
Elekta, the Swedish manufacturer of radiotherapy devices, won FDA clearance for the world’s first high-field MRI/linac system. The Elekta Unity combines a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner with a linear particle accelerator, a feat that was previously thought impossible. This is because the electrons coming out of an accelerator, being electrons, have a charge, and a […]
Self Forming Injectable Gel for Cervical Brachytherapy Procedures
A Virginia Tech polymer chemist and a University of Virginia clinical oncologist, have teamed up to create a special gel to reduce the pain associated with cervical cancer brachytherapy. This kind of therapy involves placing radioactive sources near the location of tumors, which essentially kill the cancer cells. Gauze is placed within the vagina to help […]