An injectable and programmable drug-eluting embolic device

This project aims to develop a novel platform for drug delivery and treatment for liver cancers.

A first in its kind two-step acting platform is described in detail depicting an early step of drug elusion to viable tissue (in contrast to acute embolism) followed by a later stage of vessel blockage to induce tissue necrosis is introduced here.

Inspired by the coronary drug eluting stent concept we will introduce a novel porous degradable bead referred as EmboPore used as “mini-stents” that can elute drugs for predetermined time and collapse at the end of drug treatment period to embolize the tissue.

This two-step concept ensures that a proper and massive drug perfusion will be performed prior to occlusion of the blood vessel that is used to induce tumor necrosis.

Another important advantage of the gradual blockage is in reduction of the secreted adverse pro-cancer stress signals that occurs in the acute embolism procedure.

The product is designed as biodegradable and injectable to fit the current catheters as being used in the standard clinical procedures.

Such product is expected to substantially improve the relatively modest clinical outcomes of embolic devices and possibly open new indications such as metastatic liver diseases, gastrointestinal disease and more.