IntraSense® - Start of Development of Sensor Implant for Tumor Monitoring

SMI announces cooperation with scientist from the Hamburg University of Technology and University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany

MILPITAS, Calif.--()--SMI (Silicon Microstructures, Inc.) signed a Letter of Interest with Hamburg University of Technology and University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf. The partnership aims to drive research in the area of wireless tumor sensor implants. By utilizing wireless sensors, the efficiency of chemotherapy for cancer treatment can be optimized. The cooperation partners, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Krautschneider, Prof. Dr. Udo Schumacher and PD Dr. Christine Stürken, conduct research in the field of medical technology and cancer therapy and their well-founded knowledge forms the basis for implant applications. SMI’s expertise in ultra-small pressure sensor solutions enables accurate pressure sensing for invasive medical applications. The IntraSense® product line of in vivo sensors offers a sensor size of 750μm × 220μm × 75μm.

Partnership goal: Enable continuous tumor monitoring

The project involves the measurement of pressure and temperature at the point of interest, in this case a malignant tumor, which will be wirelessly transmitted back to the medical team. An ultra-small sensor implanted into the tumor tissue helps the oncologist to adjust the chemotherapy treatment according to the conditions within the tumor. Recent studies from the Center for Experimental Medicine from the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, amongst others, form the foundation for treatment modifications.

Up until now the effectiveness of a chemotherapy treatment has only been assessed via imaging techniques. The typical imaging technique is computer tomography, which exposes the patient to radiation. Due to high costs and the increased exposure to X-ray radiation, this procedure is only applied in widely spread time intervals. In the meantime the oncologist cannot assess the effectiveness of the chemotherapy medication. The new sensor implant enables continuous tumor monitoring without radiation exposure for the patient.

“SMI is excited to be part of this project. The complementary competencies of the medical team around Prof. Dr. Krautschneider and SMI’s sensor experts opens up new possibilities for diagnostic and therapeutic concepts. This is just one example of the many ways IntraSense is enabling new life saving devices and treatment methods and is a key driver for SMI’s ongoing innovation,” says Dr. Justin Gaynor, VP IntraSense Products at SMI.

The IntraSense® line of pressure sensing solutions simplifies direct pressure monitoring throughout the anatomy, leveraging an industry-leading size of less than 1-French. It is designed to enable accurate in vivo pressure sensing in many minimally invasive devices, including catheters and endoscopes. To ensure easy system integration, the sensor can be directly exposed to different bodily fluids with no encapsulation required.

About SMI

Silicon Microstructures, Inc. (SMI) is a member of the worldwide Elmos Semiconductor Group, developing, producing and marketing semiconductors and sensors. SMI is an ISO/IATF certified premier developer and manufacturer of MEMS-based pressure sensors offering unique solutions for pressure and flow sensing. SMI empowers invasive medical devices with ultra-small sensors for in vivo pressure measurement. With more than 25 years of experience SMI’s design, production and quality control processes have enabled it to develop both the lowest pressure and smallest pressure sensors available on the market today.