Non-thermal Ablation Timing via Tissue Conductivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cancer treatments, especially after metastasis, often lack customization and can suppress the patient's immune response, limiting treatment effectiveness, particularly in immunotolerant organs where tumors are resistant to immune system targeting.
Innovation Solution
A method involving non-thermal ablation techniques like irreversible electroporation (IRE) that measures real-time changes in bulk tissue conductivity to determine the optimal timing for subsequent treatments, allowing the immune response to peak before administering immunosuppressive therapies, thereby enhancing treatment outcomes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If immunosuppressive therapies are administered immediately after tumor ablation, then treatment continuity is maintained, but the patient's immune response is suppressed before it can peak
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary measurement of bulk tissue conductivity changes during ablation to predict future immune response timing. By measuring conductivity changes in real-time during the ablation procedure, the system can forecast when the immune response will peak, allowing clinicians to plan subsequent immunosuppressive therapies to be administered after this peak occurs, rather than immediately during ablation.
2Ease of operation
If standardized treatment protocols are used for all patients, then treatment simplicity is maintained, but customization to individual immune responses is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by measuring bulk tissue conductivity changes during ablation and using these measurements to determine individualized treatment timing. The measured conductivity changes provide real-time information about the ablation effect and predicted immune response timing, allowing the treatment protocol to be customized for each patient based on their specific physiological response rather than following a fixed standardized schedule.
3Reliability
If immunosuppressive therapy is administered early to control tumor growth, then tumor progression is managed, but the natural immune response is inhibited before achieving maximum effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamics by making the timing of immunosuppressive therapy administration variable rather than fixed. Based on real-time measurement of bulk tissue conductivity changes during ablation, the system dynamically determines the optimal timing for subsequent therapy administration. This dynamic approach allows the treatment schedule to adapt to each patient's individual immune response kinetics, optimizing both tumor control and immune system activation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for personalized treatment planning by delaying subsequent therapies until a positive immune response is triggered, potentially improving tumor ablation and immune system activation, leading to better cancer management and surveillance.
Implementation Method 1
The non-thermal ablation technique can be irreversible electroporation. The non-thermal ablation technique, can be high-frequency irreversible electroporation.
Implementation Method 2
The treatment parameter can be bulk tissue conductivity. The change in bulk tissue conductivity can be measured by measuring current during the step of ablating.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are methods and systems of performing immunotherapy on a subject and/or determining if a subject will be responsive to ablation immunotherapy.