Healthcare Industry News: tumor localization
News Release - November 3, 2009
Calypso Medical Partners with Siemens Healthcare in Master Development Agreement to Provide Better Control of Radiation Beam During Cancer Treatment
Combined Technology Platforms May Lead to More Accurate Radiation Delivery and Fewer Side EffectsSEATTLE--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization technology used for the precise tracking of tumor targets, today announced that it has entered into a strategic development agreement with Siemens Healthcare to jointly develop products integrating the Calypso(R) System with the Siemens ARTISTE linear accelerator and other Siemens radiotherapy technologies.
“Siemens’ product offerings and leadership in the radiotherapy market are world-class. By combining Calypso’s technology platform with cutting edge Siemens products, we will be well-positioned to develop advanced radiation therapy technologies,” said Eric R. Meier, president and chief executive officer of Calypso Medical. “This agreement will provide the framework for joint development of real-time multi-leaf collimater (MLC) tracking, a future capability* which will significantly enhance the delivery of radiation to difficult-to-treat areas such as the pancreas and lung, as well as for our current prostate cancer patients.”
Calypso and Siemens have already demonstrated the feasibility of MLC tracking through a partnership with the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ), the largest biomedical research institute in Germany. MLC tracking enables the radiation beam to move in concert with the tumor target based on real-time tracking data provided by the Calypso System, thereby enabling faster, more precise delivery of radiation with a higher degree of accuracy and confidence.
“MLC tracking guided by the Calypso System can maximize treatment efficiency while ensuring pinpoint delivery of radiation to the tumor, even in the presence of significant tumor motion,” said Uwe Oelfke, MCCPM, FInstP, professor of medical radiation physics at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ).
“We are very pleased with the MDA with Calypso Medical as this will allow us to more rapidly develop new approaches for the delivery of radiation therapy,” said Holger Schmidt, chief executive officer of Oncology Care Systems for Siemens Healthcare. “We believe our technologies complement one another ideally and once fully integrated may lead to improved outcomes and a better quality-of-life for all cancer patients.”
Also known as GPS for the Body(R), Calypso’s proprietary technology utilizes miniature implanted Beacon(R) transponders to provide precise, continuous information on the location of the tumor during external beam radiation therapy. Any movement by the patient, including internal movement of the tumor, may cause the radiation to miss its intended target and hit adjacent healthy tissue. In contrast to other tumor targeting solutions, the Calypso System provides continuous tumor position information, objectively and without ionizing radiation, thereby enabling an increase in the radiation delivered to the tumor while reducing radiation misapplied to normal tissue.
“We use the Calypso System to ensure the precise delivery of radiation to our prostate patients, even with reduced margins. As both a Siemens and Calypso user, we are very encouraged by this new development agreement with Siemens,” said Charles Enke, M.D., chairman of the department of radiation oncology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
At the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Radiation Oncology, currently underway in Chicago, Siemens Healthcare will showcase the first targeted product of the MDA as a work-in-progress at booth 1829.
In addition to the MDA with Siemens, Calypso also announced an MDA with Varian Medical Systems earlier this year.
About Calypso Medical
Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc. is a Seattle-based, privately held medical device company. The Company’s proprietary tumor localization system utilizes miniaturized implanted devices (Beacon electromagnetic transponders) to continuously, accurately and objectively track the location of tumors for improved accuracy and management of radiation therapy delivery. The technology is designed for body-wide cancers commonly treated with radiation therapy. The products are FDA 510(k) cleared for use in the prostate and post-operative prostatic bed. The Company has strategic relationships with Varian Medical Systems, Siemens Healthcare, Elekta Corporation and Philips Medical. Additional information can be found at http://www.calypsomedical.com.
About Siemens
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens is the only company to offer customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 49,000 employees worldwide and operates in over 130 countries. In fiscal year 2008 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.2 billion euros and profit of 1.2 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.
* This technology is a concept device under development and not available for sale.
Source: Calypso Medical Technologies
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