INGLEWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pharmaco-Kinesis Corporation (PKC), a medical device company developing smart local drug delivery systems, today announced that Josh Shachar, founder and Chief Technology Officer of PKC, will present the company’s Metronomic Biofeedback Pump (MBP) at the University of Southern California’s upcoming Multimodality Treatment of Brain Cancer symposium. The symposium will take place on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at the Los Angeles Marriott Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. 15 presentations covering current and upcoming treatments in neuro-oncology will be provided at the symposium, which is offered by the Office of Continuing Medical Education and Department of Neurological Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine at USC.
At the symposium Mr. Shachar will present the current stage of development of the MBP; the importance and advantages of metronomic local delivery with biofeedback capabilities; features of the MBP and its potential benefits to patients with Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis; and the improvements in the quality and duration of life that the MBP is expected to achieve.
“The MBP has the potential to greatly improve treatment outcomes in neuro-oncology. This programmable polypharmacy infusion apparatus enables the clinician to personalize the treatment regimen based on patient-specific parameters,” said Josh Shachar, Chief Technology Officer of PKC. “The device delivers chemotherapy intratumorally and enables delivery based on pharmacokinetic criteria such as bioavailability, bioelimination and toxicity, relative to maximum tolerated dose, as well as optimal biological dose. Physiological parameters are monitored by a ‘smart loop’ and governed by sensory outputs. We look forward to presenting this potentially revolutionary pharmaceutical delivery device to the USC Symposium on Multimodality Treatment of Brain Cancer."
Eight of the members of PKC’s Clinical Advisory Board will be making presentations at the symposium:
- Thomas Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, Director, Surgical Neuro-Oncology at the USC Keck School of Medicine and Chief Oncology Officer of PKC, Presentation and Diagnosis of Intracranial Neoplasms, moderating the morning presentations on Current Treatment in Neuro-Oncology, and delivering a presentation on Inhalation Chemotherapy for Brain Tumors;
- Marc Chamberlain, M.D., Professor of Neurology at the University of Washington's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, will provide a presentation entitled Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis: The Silent Killer;
- Lisa M. DeAngelis, M.D., Chair, Department of Neurology and Co-Executive Director of the Brain Tumor Center, and Lillian Rojtman Berman Chair in Honor of Jerome B. Posner at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, will present an Update on CNS Lymphoma;
- Randy Jensen, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor and Physician-Researcher Specializing in Neurosurgical Oncology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, will make a presentation entitled Hypoxia in Brain Tumors: Diagnostic Marker and Potential Therapeutic Target;
- Dr. Frederick F. Lang, M.D., Professor of Neurosurgery, Director of Clinical Research, Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, will present on Stem Cells and Malignant Gliomas;
- N. Scott Litofsky, M.D., Professor and Chief Director of Radiosurgery and Neuro-Oncology Division of Neurological Surgery at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, will present on Brain Metastases: Rules of Management and When to Break Them;
- Russell Lonser, M.D., Chief, Surgical Neurology Branch of NINDS, Program Director for the NINDS Neurological Surgery Residency Training Program, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, will present on Intratumoral Delivery for Brain Tumors: Principles and Promises;
- Michael A. Vogelbaum, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center and Director of the Center for Translational Therapeutics at Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Neurological Surgery, will deliver a presentation entitled Convection Enhanced Delivery: Where is it Going?
“We believe that the high caliber of PKC’s technology and personnel are reflected in the presentations at this prestigious medical symposium,” said Frank Adell, CEO of PKC. “Some of the most prominent practitioners and researchers in the field of clinical neuro-oncology will be participating at this conference, many of whom are associated with our company. The conference will provide the opportunity for first-hand dialog to make the medical community aware of our innovative MBP.”
About the MBP
Current treatments for cancer have relied primarily on combination therapy using surgical removal, systemic chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The MBP represents a fourth treatment modality by using localized, programmable delivery of drugs based upon the patient's specific physiology. The MBP is the first fully implantable pump specifically designed for local, metronomic delivery of chemotherapeutic agents. It not only delivers a variety of medications to a treatment location but also obtains sample fluid from the tumor via its multi-lumen catheter, closing the feedback loop in patient-specific treatments.
“Multiple studies have shown that continuous flow of medication, administration of alternate drug regimens or drug combinations, and adaptation of dosage to individualized patient needs can improve survival rates, but as of yet, no device has been developed with these capabilities,” said Dr. Chen. “The MBP automatically dispenses precise quantities of chemotherapeutics directly to the site of cancer according to delivery regimens prescribed by the physician. This treatment modality has the potential to considerably improve the quality of life for patients with LC and a range of cancer conditions.”
About PKC
PKC is an early-stage high technology medical device company that aims to optimize the healing of the human body through proprietary local Smart Drug Delivery Systems™ and associated advanced devices to measure biological responses.
See PKC’s website at: www.pharmaco-kinesis.com.
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