MRI Interventions' ClearPoint Neuro Intervention System to be Featured as Drug Delivery Platform at 2013 Annual Targeted Drug Delivery Conference
SAN FRANCISCO, May 3, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MRI Interventions, Inc. (OTCQB:MRIC) today announced that its ClearPoint® Neuro Intervention System will be highlighted as a platform for MRI-guided drug delivery to the brain at the 2013 Annual Targeted Drug Delivery Conference in San Francisco in three presentations to be given during the session "Amazing Things on the Horizon for Pain and Neurologic Disease" on Sunday, May 5, 2013.
Krys Bankiewicz, M.D., PhD, Vice Chair and Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the NeuroTherapeutics Delivery Center at the University of California, San Francisco, will begin the session with his presentation titled "Gene Therapy and Other Approaches to Neurodegenerative Disease." Dr. Bankiewicz will present information about an upcoming clinical trial to study the administration of the investigational gene therapy AAV2-AADC to treat patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In this trial, the ClearPoint System will be used to guide convection-enhanced delivery of AAV2-AADC in real time under MRI-guidance into the putamen of patients with PD.
Russell Lonser, M.D., Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, will deliver his presentation titled "Convection Enhanced Intraparenchymal Drug Delivery," which will cover imaging features associated with convective drug delivery in the brain stem using the ClearPoint System.
Manish Aghi, M.D., PhD, Associate Professor in Residence of Neurological Surgery and Principal Investigator at the Brain Tumor Research Center at University of California, San Francisco, will present data on the real-time MRI-guided delivery of Toca 511 directly into malignant brain tumors using the ClearPoint System. Toca 511 is an investigational gene therapy in clinical trials for the treatment of recurrent high grade glioma, including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM, Grade IV glioma), the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer.
About the ClearPoint® Neuro Intervention System
The ClearPoint System is designed to allow real-time, direct visualization during neurosurgery by utilizing the powerful imaging capabilities of MRI. MRI Interventions and its distributor Brainlab have partnered to enable neurosurgeons to visualize local drug delivery to the brain and central nervous system using the ClearPoint platform, and the system is involved in five different clinical trials to enable delivery of certain investigational therapeutics. The ClearPoint SmartFlow® cannula is presently FDA-cleared for injection of cytarabine, a chemotherapy drug, to the ventricles or removal of CSF from the ventricles during intracranial procedures. Delivery of other therapeutic agents using the SmartFlow cannula is investigational. In addition to drug delivery, asleep deep brain stimulation, focal laser ablation, and biopsy are also common uses of the ClearPoint platform.
About MRI Interventions, Inc.
Founded in 1998, MRI Interventions (OTCQB:MRIC) is a commercial stage medical technology company creating innovative platforms for performing the next generation of minimally-invasive surgical procedures in the brain and heart. Utilizing a hospital's existing MRI suite, the company's FDA-cleared and CE-marked ClearPoint® system is designed to enable a range of minimally-invasive procedures in the brain. MRI Interventions has a co-development and co-distribution agreement with Brainlab, a leader in software-driven medical technology, relating to the ClearPoint system. In partnership with Siemens Healthcare, MRI Interventions is developing the ClearTrace® system to enable MRI-guided catheter ablations to treat cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation. Building on the imaging power of MRI, the company's interventional platforms strive to improve patient care while reducing procedure costs and times. MRI Interventions is also working with Boston Scientific Corporation to incorporate its MRI-safety technologies into Boston Scientific's implantable leads for cardiac and neurological applications. For more information, please visit www.MRIinterventions.com.
CONTACT: MRI Interventions, Inc.
David Carlson, CFO, 901-522-9300
Released May 3, 2013