Cancer Research Technology, the commercial arm of Cancer Research UK, has launched Acublate, a spin-out company which will develop a nextgeneration High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) surgery device to treat a range of solid tumour types.
HIFU is a highly precise non-invasive type of surgery which uses ultrasound energy to heat and destroy tumours while leaving surrounding healthy tissue intact. The treatment works with immediate benefit and has the potential to reduce side-effects compared with current alternative treatments. The Acublate device uses an advanced proprietary phased-array system – that is, it targets multiple points in the tumour at once. The system can be steered rapidly in 3D to target and destroy tumours. Initially, the Acublate device will treat patients with bowel cancer that has spread to the liver. But the technology has the potential to treat a range of cancers. Cancer Research UK, Imperial Innovations and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust funded the original research to develop the technology. The research was led by founding scientists physicist, Professor Jeff Hand, at Imperial College London and surgeon, Professor Paul Abel, at Imperial College London. Cancer Research Technology, with others, has raised £145,000 to develop the clinical prototype which is expected to be ready within a year. Further funding will be required to run clinical trials of the equipment, with the first clinical data expected within 24 months. Dr Keith Blundy, CRT’s CEO, said: “The HIFU technology currently approved for clinical use in the UK specifically targets prostate cancer, but we hope the Acublate device will be able to treat most solid tumour types. It is also expected to treat patients more quickly, more effectively and with fewer side-effects.”
