MAE Group is leading the development of a thermobrachytherapy oncology medical device, a platform technology, under the MAE Group brand. As the name implies Project Hope offers hope to patients and their families impacted by glioblastoma (GBM) and other brain cancers. Considering all available therapies, current standard of care for GBM produces 5-year survival <10%.1
What is Project Hope?
The project introduces a unique thermobrachytherapy platform technology resulting from the culmination of years of research. Brachytherapy is a form of radiation treatment in which radioactive material is sealed inside a seed, wire, or capsule. The radiation source is then implanted into the body for up to 7 days, generally within a sterile catheter. Radiation given off by the source damages the DNA of nearby cancer cells leading to differential killing of the tumor.
What makes it unique?
Thermobrachytherapy combines the use of core technologies of brachytherapy as a means to localize radiation in cancerous tissue around the source and hyperthermia as a means to further enhance the cancer treatment locally and thereby minimize toxicity to surrounding healthy tissue. Hyperthermia (thermotherapy) has been shown to improve clinical response to radiation therapy for cancer. The synergism of combining radiation and thermotherapy has been proven to increase tumor response significantly both in vitro and in vivo 2, and to improve clinical outcomes in 24 positive randomized clinical trials. 3, 4
Project Hope, a platform technology, an oncology medical device, a breakthrough technology offering hope to patients and families.
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[1] American Brain Tumor Association, http://www.abta.org/brain-tumor-information/types-of tumors/glioblastoma.html 2014.
[2] Dewey WC. Arrhenius relationships from the molecule and cell to the clinic. Int J Hyperther. 1994;10(4):457- 83.
[3] Datta NR, Ordonez SG, Gaipl US, Paulides MM, Crezee H, Gellermann J, Marder D, Puric E, Bodis S. Local hyperthermia combined with radiotherapy and-/or chemotherapy: recent advances and promises for the future. Cancer Treatment Reviews. 2015;41(9):742-53. Epub 2015/06/09. doi: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2015.05.009 S0305-7372(15)00104-8 [pii]. PMID: 26051911.
[4] Hurwitz MD, Stauffer PR. Hyperthermia, radiation and chemotherapy: the role of heat in multidisciplinary cancer care. Semin Oncol. 2014;41(6):714-29. Epub 2014/12/17. doi: 10.1053/j.seminoncol.2014.09.014 S0093-7754(14)00234-6 [pii] PMID: 25499632.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R41CA239815. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
