June 16, 2010 -- Dynamic EdgeT Gating Technology, the latest innovation of the Calypso System from Calypso Medical Technologies Inc., allows therapists to set motion thresholds which disable radiation delivery if the targeted tissue moves outside the preset threshold. The technology will be demonstrated at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, July 18-21.
Previously the Calypso System, which provides target position information in the form of objective data, relied upon the therapist to manually intervene and halt radiation delivery when healthy tissue was in danger of receiving unintended radiation. Dynamic Edge Gating Technology automates this function and provides an immediate response so the radiation beam is automatically disabled or re-enabled in response to organ motion. The company expects to submit its application for regulatory clearance for this feature to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during the third quarter. Following regulatory clearance, the Dynamic Edge Gating feature will be compatible with Siemens and Varian linear accelerators.
"Dynamic Edge Gating Technology leverages the real-time data output of the Calypso System to automate and further improve the precision of radiation therapy delivery," said Lorraine Marshall Wright, vice president and chief marketing officer of Calypso Medical. "By automating the response to target motion with a signal to disable the radiation beam, our system safeguards patients against overdosing healthy tissue and underdosing the cancer."
The Calypso System, with its GPS for the Body technology, utilizes implanted Beacon transponders to provide precise, continuous information on the location of the tumor during external beam radiation therapy. Any movement by the patient, including internal movement of the tumor, may cause the radiation to miss its intended target and hit adjacent healthy tissue. The real-time position information provided by the Calypso System allows physicians to deliver maximum radiation directly to the tumor while sparing the surrounding healthy tissues and organs from exposure.
In contrast to other guidance techniques, Calypso's electromagnetic technology is the only non-ionizing guidance solution to keep the treatment precisely focused on the target without adding unnecessary radiation. Calypso technology is designed for body-wide applications and is currently cleared by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for use in radiation therapy for the prostate and prostatic bed.