Genetronics Awarded Patent for Vascular Therapy
Genetronics Biomedical Corporation announced that its subsidiary, Genetronics, Inc., has been granted another patent for a vascular application of its technology entitled "Electrically Induced Vessel Vasodilation." The patent adds to Genetronics' position as a pioneer in the use of electroporation therapy, without drugs, to achieve vasodilation.
Electroporation refers to the application of electrical pulses to a target tissue to temporarily increase the permeability of biological membranes. This patent was granted for the invention that brief electrical pulses of relatively high field strength applied to blood vessels cause a widening of the inner diameter (the lumen) of the treated vessels. This allows for enhanced blood flow while lowering local blood pressure. This procedure may have the potential to be beneficially applied to patients who suffer from partially or totally blocked arteries or veins, either by administering electrical field pulses by themselves or in conjunction with angioplasty.
The greatest potential for a clinical procedure of this nature would be to treat arteries of the heart and limbs. Blocked blood vessels are presently treated by mechanical removal of the blocking plaque or tissue (e.g. by angioplasty) or by the infusion of certain drugs. Genetronics' procedure, which would be administered using a catheter with built-in electrodes and not require drugs, has the advantage of exerting an immediate positive effect on the blood flow without injuring the blood vessel and avoiding unwanted side effects caused by drugs.
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