First Lung Lesion and First Lymph Node Metastasis Treated With AngioDynamics' IRE Technology at Australia's The Alfred Hospital
First Lung Lesion and First Lymph Node Metastasis Treated With AngioDynamics' IRE Technology at Australia's The Alfred Hospital
NanoKnife(TM) System Used to Perform Cases
Previous Cases at The Alfred Continue to Show Success
QUEENSBURY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Dec. 18, 2008--
AngioDynamics, Inc. (NASDAQ:
ANGO)
announced the use of its Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) technology
on a lymph node metastasis and the first lung lesion case, at The Alfred
in
Melbourne, Australia. Using the NanoKnife
system, Dr.
Ken Thomson,
Professor and Director of the
Department of Radiology at The Alfred,
Monash University, performed the procedures, which were judged by The
Alfred to be successful from a safety perspective. The hospital will
conduct further patient follow-up before determining final outcomes in
terms of tumor response.
Dr. Thomson reported that the two patients who were treated did not
report pain related to the procedures. These are the fifth and sixth
cases using NanoKnife at The Alfred, with three liver cases and a kidney
case preceding them, all with procedural success.
"I have been an interventional radiologist since 1974 and this is the
most exciting development in minimal access therapy I have seen," said
Thomson. "For the patient, the absence of post-operative pain is unique
and remarkable. We have also treated tumors in the liver and kidney with
NanoKnife, with similar experiences - no postoperative pain at all - and
the procedures have raised no safety concerns. This is probably due to
the fact that the supporting structure of the tissue treated is not
destroyed and vascular and nerve function is unaffected."
Regarding a previously announced liver case from The Alfred, sequential
triple phase liver CT scans and ultrasound at two weeks and four weeks
post-procedure have shown that a 2 cm tumor has disappeared on imaging.
At the site of a 3.5 cm tumor near the diaphragm in the same patient
there is only a minor non-enhancing scar. Dr. Thomson noted these
outcomes contrast very favorably with the cavities left following
thermal ablation procedures.
Eamonn Hobbs, President and CEO of AngioDynamics, said "We are delighted
by the additional, positive progress at The Alfred, and very pleased
that our thought leader program, which includes Dr. Thomson's important
work, continues to demonstrate the value of this exciting new
technology."
NanoKnife causes cell death by impacting the cell membranes of targeted
tissue with pulses of electricity, effectively sparing nearby nerves,
blood vessels, lymphatic system, and other delicate structures. Targeted
cells are removed from the body through blood vessels and lymphatic
systems.
This is different from thermal ablation modalities like cryo-ablation,
microwave, and radiofrequency ablation. These other modalities destroy
all cells including critical structures in targeted tissue, leaving
destroyed material in place for years. The body can only remove it
slowly and tediously by attacking from the outside, as all normal
pathways to remove damaged tissue have been destroyed.
AngioDynamics intends to file investigational device exemptions (IDE)
with the Food & Drug Administration to pursue additional and more
specific tissue indications. The device has been cleared for a general
soft tissue ablation indication by the Food and Drug Administration.
About Irreversible Electroporation
Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) is a surgical resection technique in
which electrical fields are used to create nano-scale defects in a
cell's membrane, which causes cell death only in the targeted tissue,
without destroying critical structures such as ducts, blood vessels and
nerves. A research team headed by Boris Rubinsky, Distinguished
Professor of Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley,
invented the IRE technology used in the ongoing trials. The technology
was exclusively licensed by the University of California to Oncobionic
for commercial development. With the close of the acquisition of
Oncobionic in April 2008, AngioDynamics has taken ownership of the
exclusive license along with a developing portfolio of Intellectual
Property in the area of IRE.
About The Alfred and Dr. Ken Thomson
The Alfred is a major referral teaching hospital in Melbourne,
Australia. It has a major role in the provision of services on a
statewide and national basis. The hospital enjoys a reputation as one of
the world's leading health care providers - largely attributable to its
concentration of specialist leading edge services, including Oncology,
Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart and Lung Transplant, Trauma Care and
Respiratory Medicine. The Alfred provides the most comprehensive range
of specialist medical and surgical services in the Australian state of
Victoria and offers every form of medical treatment - with the exception
of obstetrics and pediatrics.
Dr. Thomson has expertise in cardiovascular and interventional radiology
and is a founding member of the Society of Minimally Invasive Therapy
and the Interventional Radiology Society of Australasia. He has
published and lectured widely on aspects of interventional radiology and
his research interests are vascular stents, molecular imaging,
endografts and therapeutic embolic agents. He is the past President of
the Asian & Oceanian Society of Radiology.
About AngioDynamics
AngioDynamics, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative medical devices
used by interventional radiologists, surgeons, and other physicians for
the minimally invasive treatment of cancer and peripheral vascular
disease. The Company's diverse product line includes market-leading
radiofrequency ablation and irreversible electroporation resection
systems, vascular access products, angiographic products and
accessories, dialysis products, angioplasty products, drainage products,
thrombolytic products, embolization products and venous products. More
information is available at www.angiodynamics.com.
Safe Harbor
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements
regarding AngioDynamics' expected future financial position, results of
operations, cash flows, business strategy, budgets, projected costs,
capital expenditures, products, competitive positions, growth
opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations,
as well as statements that include the words such as "expects,"
"reaffirms" "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "seeks,"
"estimates," or variations of such words and similar expressions, are
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and
uncertainties. Investors are cautioned that actual events or results may
differ from the Company's expectations. Factors that may affect the
actual results achieved by the Company include, without limitation, the
ability of the Company to develop its existing and new products, future
actions by the FDA or other regulatory agencies, results of pending or
future clinical trials, overall economic conditions, general market
conditions, market acceptance, foreign currency exchange rate
fluctuations, the effects on pricing from group purchasing organizations
and competition, the ability of the Company to integrate the purchased
Diomed businesses as well as the risk factors listed from time to time
in the SEC filings of AngioDynamics, Inc., including but not limited to
its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2008. The
Company does not assume any obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statements for any reason.
In the United States, NanoKnife has been cleared by the FDA for use in
the surgical ablation of soft tissue. This document may discuss the use
of NanoKnife for specific clinical indications for which it is not
cleared in the United States at this time.
CONTACT: AngioDynamics, Inc.
D. Joseph Gersuk, CFO, 800-772-6446 ext. 1608
jgersuk@AngioDynamics.com
or
EVC Group, Inc.
Doug Sherk, 415-896-2005 (Investor Relations)
dsherk@evcgroup.com
Jenifer Kirtland, 415-896-2005 (Investor Relations)
jkirtland@evcgroup.com
Chris Gale, 646-201-5431 (Media)
cgale@evcgroup.com
Steve DiMattia, 646-201-5431 (Media)
sdimattia@evcgroup.com
Source: AngioDynamics, Inc.