New Brunswick, NJ – A leading neurosurgeon has performed the nation’s first laser-assisted brain surgery for a specific type of resistant brain tumor using technology so advanced that the patient went home the next day.

Shabbar F. Danish, M.D., Director, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Assistant Professor at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), used the Visualase, Inc., laser-assisted thermal ablation technique to operate on a patient with a recurring brain tumor after two previous surgeries and radiation did not permanently destroy the growth.

The technology is the latest addition to RWJUH and RWJMS’s growing expertise in the division of neuroscience. Dr. Danish specializes in the latest in stereotactic neurosurgery, which involves targeting small areas in the brain with techniques used to treat everything from Parkinson’s disease to brain tumors.

Susanna Denude of Riverdale, N.J., was diagnosed with an intracranial ependymoma, a tumor that grows from the cells that line the ventricles in the brain. While only six hospitals in the country offer laser-assisted thermal ablation, this is the first time in the nation that the treatment was used for an intracranial ependymoma, explains Dr. Danish.

“This is a tool for patients with tumors who have been told they do not have other options,” Dr. Danish says about laser-assisted thermal ablation. “This is also a viable option for patients who do not want radiation therapy or general anesthesia. Additionally, we can take their hospital stay from four to seven days down to 24 hours.”

The technique involves placing a laser directly into the tumor and then guiding the laser to perform thermal ablation, or killing it with heat, while leaving the surrounding areas of the brain untouched. The entry hole that is made through the skull is about the size of the end of a pen and requires just one stitch and a small bandage following the procedure.

“In order to find the exact spot where the tumor is located, we use a GPS system for the brain so that we can identify the exact target location during laser placement, load and then map out a path in the operating room,” says Dr. Danish.

After the laser is placed in the brain, the patient is moved to an MRI unit, where the operating team can observe in real time how the brain changes temperature with respect to the laser. “It uses a light energy in order to deliver the thermal therapy,” adds Dr. Danish. Only local anesthesia is used and the patient is able to go home the day after surgery.

“What we hope for Ms. Denude is that she goes on now to live a full life,” Dr. Danish says. “She’s a very active woman.”

To learn more about RWJUH, please visit www.rwjuh.edu. For a referral to a physician affiliated with RWJUH, please call 1-888-MD-RWJUH. Follow us on Twitter at www.rwjuh.edu/twitter and Facebook at www.rwjuh.edu/facebook.

To learn more about UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, visit rwjms.umdnj.edu. Find our fan page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @UMDNJ_RWJMS.

Visualase To Be Awarded $2.1 Million For Prostate Cancer Research.

Visualase Inc. was selected for a $2.1 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. The precision and control of the Visualase technology has made possible the ablation of tissue in areas such as brain and prostate.

Houston, TX  February 10, 2010 — Visualase Inc. announced today that it has been selected for a grant $2.1 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). On January 20, CPRIT Chief Science Officer Dr. Al Gilman, announced awards to 16 institutions based in Texas which are on the forefront of cancer research and treatment. Visualase is one of only two private companies to receive such a grant and stands with established cancer institutions such as The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, and UT Health Science Centers, among others.

Visualase Technology. Brain image during treatment.

“We’re thrilled to be recognized by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and we’re looking forward to accelerating our efforts in providing patients in Texas and across North America with better treatment options for prostate cancer. Doctors Ashok Gowda and Roger McNichols deserve all of the credit for not only developing our technology, but also collaborating with health professionals to make an immediate impact on improving patient outcomes,” CEO Bill Hoffman said.

The focus of the grant will be continued clinical exploration of focal treatment of cancerous tumors in the prostate, a treatment which could significantly reduce the rate of side-effects associated with conventional “whole gland” treatments, including prostatectomy and whole gland irradiation. The clinical study to be funded by the grant will be lead by a team from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The unprecedented level of precision and control afforded by the Visualase technology has made possible ablation of tissue in highly sensitive areas such as brain and prostate. Doctors are currently using the system for ablation of brain, prostate, liver, bone, and other solid tumors. For more information about the Visualase Technology and Visualase Inc., visit http://www.visualaseinc.com.

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The laser is compatible with the Visualase Thermal Therapy System, which incorporates advanced MRI-thermal image guidance and novel cooled laser applicator technology for real-time monitoring and control of the ablation process.  The new PhoTex30 Diode Laser and Visualase cooled laser applicators allow creation of large ablation zones (up to 3cm in diameter) from a single probe in approximately 2 minutes.  Multiple probes can be used simultaneously to cover larger areas of tissue in the same short exposure time.  .

Visualase uses light energy to destroy unwanted tissue through a process called Laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT). In this treatment, laser fibers are directed to targeted areas in the body, often tumor tissue. Laser light is delivered through the probe which raises the temperature to lethal levels in the targeted tissue.  As more physicians become trained on the Visualase technology, lasers may have an increased impact on many types of tumor therapy.  Doctors are currently using the system for ablation of brain, prostate, liver, bone, and other solid tumors.

PhoTex30 Diode Laser System

For more information about the PhoTex30 Diode Laser Series and Visualase Inc., visit http://www.visualaseinc.com.
For news and events about Visualase Inc., visit http://www.visualaseinc.com/news/

Contact

Andres Schulz
Media and Marketing

Visualase Inc.
8058 El Rio Street
Houston, Texas 77054

Visualase will be holding a seminar for physicians interested in the Visualase technology. Neurosurgeons that have used Visualase will present case studies and will be available for QnA. Please RSVP if you like to attend. There is limited capacity for this event.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Lasers used in keyhole surgery for brain cancer” – Agence France-Presse

Paris, France August 29th, 2008 – Visualase technology used to successfully treat brain tumors, as reported by AFP and the Telegraph (UK).

Read: AFP article | Telegraph article

Paris hospital hosts pioneering laser brain surgery

Saturday 30 August 2008 – A French team of neurosurgeons claims top have successfully tested a combination of new techniques, including fibre-optic lasers, in treating brain cancer through ultra-keyhole surgery.

Read: France24

Houston, Texas March 1st, 2006 The U.S. FDA granted 510(k) clearance (K053087) for the Visualase Cooled Laser Applicator System. The Visualase Cooled Laser Applicator System, manufactured by BioTex, Inc. and to be distributed by Visualase, Inc. received clearance for marketing with broad use in a number of medical specialties. “This family of products consists of a number of novel advancements in laser applicator systems,” stated Dr. Ashok Gowda, President and CEO of Visualase. “The laser diffusing fiber and cooling catheter system can be used together to allow use of higher laser powers and faster ablation times, while minimizing risk of applicator damage and tissue carbonization,” he added.