Profound Medical (NASDAQ: PROF; TSX: PRN) has announced that The Johns Hopkins Hospital has treated its first non-clinical-trial prostate cancer patient using the company’s TULSA-PRO system. The milestone marks the official launch of TULSA-PRO at one of the world’s most influential centers for prostate cancer innovation and coincides with the opening of Johns Hopkins Medicine’s new interventional MRI (iMRI) suite—signaling the continued evolution of MRI from diagnostic imaging-only to a real-time therapeutic platform.
The TULSA Procedure represents a major advancement in prostate care, and is used by physicians to treat prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, also known as an enlarged prostate). Robotically controlled directional ultrasound is delivered from inside the urethra to precisely and gently heat prostate tissue to ‘kill temperature’ (55-57°C) while protecting surrounding nerves and anatomy. Real-time MRI thermography enables continuous visualization and autonomous temperature adjustment throughout the procedure. This level of precision allows physicians to tailor therapy to each patient, resulting in no procedural blood loss, no overnight hospital stay, and a quicker return to everyday life, while minimizing side effects typically associated with surgery or radiation, such as urinary incontinence and/or erectile dysfunction.
In a statement, Arun Menawat, CEO and chairman of Profound, commented, “The implementation of TULSA-PRO in a newly built interventional MR suite specifically designed for surgical procedures that benefit from the precision of real-time MRI to deliver superior clinical outcomes is a growing movement. Accordingly, it is not surprising that a leading institution such as Johns Hopkins Medicine is at the forefront of this trend. Johns Hopkins University was an early participant in the clinical development of TULSA-PRO through participation in the TACT pivotal clinical trial that led to the technology’s FDA clearance, and then in the more recent randomized prospective post-market CAPTAIN trial. We are thrilled to see them now offer TULSA-PRO to their patients as an option to treat prostate cancer or symptoms of BPH.”
