Profound Medical (TSX:PRN; OTCQX:PRFMF) announced the first prostate cancer treatment using a first-of-its-kind TULSA-PRO installation in Trier, Germany. The installation combines Profound’s TULSA-PRO system with Philips’ newest digital MRI solution, the Ingenia Elition.
“We’re honored to collaborate with renowned European radiology and urologic oncology specialists to build the world’s first TULSA-PRO / Ingenia Elition installation,” Arun Menawat, CEO of Profound, said in a statement.
Treating the first patient using the combination of these innovative systems not only represents a milestone for Profound, but also demonstrates the system’s versatility and synergy with the latest imaging technology, he added.
“We believe this synergy could maximize the efficiency and precision of ultrasound ablation to treat prostate cancer, and potentially increase the efficacy of treatment while minimizing side effects,” Dr. Menawat said.
Prof. Winfried Willinek, medical director and head of radiology, neuroradiology, sonography and nuclear medicine at Trier’s Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen Brüder Trier (a Brothers of Mercy hospital), said the collaboration with Profound and Philips demonstrates the synergy that can result from combining two leading technologies.
“Positioning our facility as a leader in prostate cancer treatment, the installation enables our physicians to perform highly technical procedures that could significantly improve treatment outcomes,” he added.
Dr. Andreas Neisius, associate professor and head of urology at the Prostate Cancer Center at the hospital, who led the installation’s first prostate cancer treatment, said that in addition to addressing the unmet needs of prostate cancer patients, “we believe the unit will benefit physicians by enabling efficient ultrasound ablation procedures with high levels of precision.”
Philips debuted the new Philips Ingenia Elition at the European Congress of Radiology in February 2018. The new MRI system offers cutting-edge MR imaging techniques, while setting new standards for clinical research in 3.0T imaging, based on new gradient and RF designs. These fully redesigned gradients, combined with Compressed SENSE acceleration technology, allow up to 60% higher spatial resolution in the same scan time, revealing more details for greater precision and superb image quality, performing MRI exams up to 50% faster.
“We’ve been working closely with Profound to commercialize the TULSA-PRO and believe that TULSA-PRO highly benefits from the Ingenia Elition’s advanced MR imaging innovations that provide great accuracy and performance,” said Wouter Horck, product manager of Philips.
