Radiation Technology from Navotek

Via an article at Israel’s business newspaper The Globes, we learn about Navotek Medical Ltd., a company developing technology said to improve precision in targeting of radiation therapy. Navotek hopes that its RealEye™ patient positioning and monitoring system one day will replace traditional linear accelerator devices.
Here’s how the company explains its system, that is based on an interesting trackable implantable tracer coupled with unique sensor technology:

Navotek’s RealTrack™ technology is designed to localize and track minute radioactive sources within the body. The source emits photons that are detected by Navotek’s unique array of detectors located outside the patient’s body. These detectors are designed to localize the intra-body source in 3-dimensional space with submillimeter accuracy and to track its location in real time.
Navotek’s first product that uses RealTrack™ technology is RealEye™.
RealEye™ is a patient positioning and monitoring system for use as an adjunct to high precision radiation therapy. The system localizes and tracks the RealEyeable™ tracer, an implanted trackable fiducial…
RealEye’s™ unique array of detectors is designed to enable a single tracer to provide complete, reliable 4D information.
The first version of the RealEye™ system is optimized for use in prostate radiotherapy.
RealEye™’s real-time tracking capability is aimed at supplying updated target position information to ensure accurate patient positioning and treatment. Designed to be insensitive to metal interference, RealEye™’s underlying RealTrack™ technology should maintain accuracy – even in close proximity to metallic objects.
RealEye™’s user interface is designed to provide a clear, objective and user friendly indication of the target location, as well as instructions for fast and accurate couch positioning.
This new device may allow the physician to treat more patients with the existing staff and equipment.
RealEye™ monitors the target location throughout the treatment, providing a warning in case the target moves beyond a predefined threshold. This may allow stopping the treatment and adjusting the patient position in order to spare the healthy tissue surrounding the target.
Since RealEye™ is designed to reduce the need for anatomical imaging, its use has the potential to significantly lower the patient’s exposure to non-therapeutic radiation, even taking into account RealEyeable™ tracer’s minute radioactive emissions.
The RealEyeable™ tracer is an implantable fiducial for use with the RealEye™ patient positioning and monitoring system. The RealEyeable™ tracer is designed for ease-of-use and maximum stability within soft tissue.
The RealEyeable™ tracer is optimized for compatibility with medical imaging modalities, including X-ray, CT, and MRI.
Its presence does not restrict the use of MRI for radiation planning, treatment monitoring, and/or future diagnostic imaging.
The unique mechanical structure of the RealEyeable™ tracer allows it to be implanted through an ultra-thin needle and to attach firmly to the target tissue, reducing the risk of migration.

Product pages: RealTrack technology; RealEye; RealEyeable tracer