Radiostent

What it does

Radiostent is an integration of radiation and stent technology which is minimally invasive and highly effective treatment for brain tumors. The implantable radioactive stent will continuously kill the growing tumors. It does not require invasive open surgery.

Your inspiration

As an engineer and clinician, our ultimate goal is to develop and deliver the best treatment for patients. One of the most aggressive brain tumors is Glioblastoma (GBM) which has poor prognosis and low survival rate. It affects more than 14,000 people in the US per year. Moreover, the challenges of treating it included its fast-growing nature and its ability to invade nearby brain tissue. The blood-brain barrier is also blocking drug delivery. The current standard of care involves tumor resection and chemotherapy. However, the treatment for GBM remains poor with only 15 months survival, less than 5% survival rate and 95% chance of relapse.

How it works

Radiostent is an innovative medical device, consisting of a stent coated with Y-90 radioactive material. It combines traditional brachytherapy, where radioactive pellets are placed directly into the tumor, with modern endovascular stent technology used in interventional radiology. This remarkable 1mm implantable radioactive stent can be delivered through a catheter into a small branch of the cerebral artery close to the tumor, effectively destroying the growing tumors through continuous radiation. Radiostent represents a groundbreaking advancement in brain tumor treatment as it eliminates the need for invasive open surgery and the necessity of frequent hospital visits for chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Unlike chemotherapy, this remarkable technology precisely targets and kills only the affected tumors, significantly reducing the occurrence of side effects associated with the treatment.

Design process

We started this idea by searching clinical needs and aiming to develop simple but practical and innovative solution from existing technology. We found Y90 radiation which is an FDA-approved, promising approach for liver cancer treatment that employs small beads filled with radioactive to specifically target cancer cells. Nevertheless, the current Y-90 design cannot be used for brain tumor treatment due to the potential risk of the beads obstructing the blood supply to the brain and causing severe consequences, including brain death. On the other hand, stent is a medical device used to open occluded blood vessels by inserting a catheter through the vessel. This clinically practical and minimally invasive treatment does not necessitate open surgery, but its application remains somewhat limited. We see the potential of these medical devices and want to leverage the treatment of brain tumor by merging and taking advantage of these existing technologies into an innovative treatment. Our approach involves re-engineer the Y-90 design by coating it on the stent which serves as a delivery vessel. This will allow blood supply to the brain while the radiation locally kills the tumors. The advancement of Radiostent will minimize invasive surgery while maintaining highly effective treatment.

How it is different

The primary treatment option for brain tumors involves open brain surgery, which entails the removal of the skull and brain tissue. This is followed by radiation therapy or chemotherapy, requiring more than 30 hospital visits. Moreover, chemotherapy is known to be highly toxic and may cause significant side effects for patients. Even with the standard treatment, there is a high likelihood of relapse, estimated at around 95%. The Radiostent will revolutionize brain tumor treatment by improving patient mortality and morbidity. Unlike open surgery, this implantable stent enables the precise delivery of sufficient doses of beta radiation to a specific area, reducing side effects and the need for frequent hospital visits compared to traditional external beam radiation. Additionally, Radiostent is a minimally invasive option, minimizing the need for hospitalization from open surgery.

Future plans

We are currently looking for an available facility for radiation experiments and we plan to start prototyping and testing both in tissue and animal model to determine the effects of radiation after implantation before starting clinical trials. If Radiostent is successfully developed, it is not only improved patients' mortality and mobility, but it is also having great market opportunity due to the unmet need for improving GBM treatment. The global GBM treatment market was valued at USD 2.34 billion in 2021. It is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 9.30% and is expected to reach a value of USD 4.77 billion by the end of 2029.

Awards

Mayo Clinic Roadrunner Sprint