Irvine, CA, -- MRI Interventions, Inc. (OTCQB:MRIC) and IMRIS Inc. (NASDAQ: IMRS; TSX: IM) ("IMRIS") today announced that a surgical team at a leading U.S. neuroscience institution has delivered the investigational gene therapy drug Toca 511 directly into a glioblastoma brain tumor using real-time intraoperative MRI (iMRI) guidance within an IMRIS VISIUS® Surgical Theatre. MRI Interventions' ClearPoint® Neuro Intervention System served as the navigation platform and the ClearPoint SmartFlow® large-bore cannula as the vehicle for delivery of the therapeutic agent.
The procedure performed in early May marks the first convergence of these technologies - Toca 511, the VISIUS Surgical Theatre, and the ClearPoint System - in a unique collaboration allowing surgeons to visually monitor and confirm delivery of the desired amount of the potentially cancer-fighting drug precisely to the target location in the patient's brain within a state-of-the-art operating room designed for patient safety and efficiency.
VISIUS Surgical Theatres feature a high-field iMRI that travels on-demand between two operating rooms on ceiling rails for diagnostic and surgical usage. The multi-disciplinary suite provides truly intraoperative imaging as it does not require the patient to be moved from the OR table for scanning during surgery, so optimal positioning for neurosurgery is not compromised and typical clinical workflow is not impacted.
The ClearPoint System is the only navigation platform designed to permit real-time, direct visualization during minimally-invasive neurosurgical procedures by utilizing the powerful imaging capabilities of MRI. Surgeons use the ClearPoint System to plot a neurological target, plan the optimal trajectory to the target, and monitor the placement of surgical tools and devices in real time throughout the operation. The ClearPoint System then provides immediate visual confirmation of the results of a procedure.
The ClearPoint System also features the SmartFlow large-bore cannula for drug delivery, which is designed to prevent reflux and leakage of a therapeutic agent outside of the target area. The SmartFlow large-bore cannula has demonstrated an ability to increase drug delivery rates by up to three times the delivery rate allowed with the original SmartFlow cannula.
Using the VISIUS Surgical Theatre's iMR imaging in conjunction with the ClearPoint System's guidance software and ClearPoint MR-compatible components, neurosurgeons are able to visually differentiate tumor tissue from healthy brain tissue, establish the target location for delivery of the therapeutic agent, and visualize delivery of the therapy in real time.
