Development of an INSPIRE System for the Treatment of Inoperable Liver Tumors

Project Summary
Integrated time nanosecond pulse irreversible electroporation (INSPIRE) is a minimally invasive treatment for
inoperable solid tumors. This treatment uses ultrashort electrical pulses to destabilize the cell membrane and
induce a tunable combination of necrotic and apoptotic cell death within a well-defined volume. The therapy is
implemented by introducing one or more electrodes into the tumor then delivering a series of 500ns to 2000ns
electrical pulses between an electrode and an external grounding pad. To enable treatment of tumors which
occur near our around critical structures active temperature feedback is utilized to limit Joule heating and prevent
deleterious thermal injury. Using a combination of ex vivo, in vivo, and computational results we hypothesize that
INSPIRE will be a safe and effective treatment for the vast majority of inoperable tumors utilizing a single
applicator approach and a compatible pulse generator capable of high voltage outputs when active temperature
control is utilized to prevent off-target thermal injury. This proposal will leverage recent developments in high
voltage power electronics to develop new instrumentation which is capable of safely administering these
treatments in vivo. The safety, efficacy, and reproducibility of these treatments will be evaluated in a combination
of in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models and the data generated in these studies will be utilized to optimize treatment
planning algorithms and clinical applicators designs. The study will culminate with an in vivo study demonstrating
the safety and efficacy of these treatments against spontaneous liver tumors in canine veterinary patients.