Michigan Live is reporting that Winnipeg, Canada-based Monteris Medical Inc. “will establish an office in Kalamazoo this month and begin testing its technology on humans in two Cleveland hospitals next month, Monteris Chief Executive Officer James W. Duncan said Tuesday.” 
The company is developing a minimally invasive, MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy system called AutoLITT™, designed for the treatment of primary brain cancers, such as glioblastoma multiforme. The move is thought to represent the company’s strategy in obtaining FDA approval of the product by the end of this year, and in laying the foundation for establishing manufacturing facilities in Michigan.
A quick glance at technology:
Focused-LITT is made possible by Monteris™ novel AutoLITT™ System. It consists of state-of-the-art capital equipment, proprietary imaging and treatment management software, and novel single-use application tools.
Probe. A thin (3mm), side-firing, internally-cooled laser probe is inserted into the tumor, similar to brain biopsy procedures. Probe Driver. The control mechanism enables the surgeon to have axial and rotational control over probe positioning, with hand controls analogous to endoscope controls. The surgeon is able to direct the laser beam to all parts of the tumor by simply rotating the probe and moving up and down.
Laser. A standard surgical laser with approximately 1064nm wavelength (e.g Nd:YAG or tuned diode laser) is connected through MRI-compatible umbilicals to the probe and probe driver. Treatment Planning Software. Interactive software enables the surgeon to image the probe, tumor and surrounding brain tissue to determine the optimal treatment strategy and ablation sequences. Treatment Monitoring Software. Interactive software enables the surgeon to real-time visualize laser firing direction, the resultant thermal “bloom,” and tissue that has reached thermal damage threshold (i.e. ablated), overlaid upon real-time images of the tumor and surrounding brain. MRI. A standard 1.5T MRI (or higher) imager is required–available in most hospitals.
Check out the product page for AutoLITT™ system and this video demonstrating how the product works…
