IRVINE, Calif., April 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MRI Interventions, Inc. (OTCQB:MRIC) today announced that its ClearPoint ® Neuro Intervention System will be on exhibit at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) April 7-9, 2014, in San Francisco, California. Conference attendees are invited to visit the MRI Interventions booth (#1036) to explore an interactive presentation showing the ClearPoint system's unique capability to enable a wide range of neurosurgical applications under real-time MRI guidance.
The ClearPoint system's importance as a delivery platform for the investigational administration of Toca 511 will also be included in a presentation by Dr. Manish Aghi, neurosurgeon at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) on Monday, April 7, describing the ongoing Phase I investigational trial evaluating the safety and tolerability of Toca 511 in combination with Toca FC in recurrent high grade glioma patients.
Toca 511 is a retroviral replicating vector that carries a gene for an enzyme that converts orally delivered Toca FC (extended-release 5-FC) into 5-FU, a potent anticancer agent. During the Toca 511 delivery procedure, the ClearPoint system is used to merge neuronavigation with real-time MRI imaging, allowing visualization of adjustments to cannula trajectory, position and flow rate during the procedure.
The ClearPoint system's accuracy in the placement of drug delivery cannulas will also be presented in an e-poster titled "Direct Magnetic Resonance Imaging-guided placement of Convection Enhanced Delivery Cannula: Feasibility and Accuracy," authored by Prashant Chittiboina, M.D. and John D. Heiss, M.D., neurosurgeons at the National Institutes of Health, and Russell Lonser, M.D., neurosurgeon at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The presentation will review the accuracy of SmartFlow ® cannula placement with the ClearPoint system in three patients undergoing CED infusion for investigational treatment of diffuse intrinsic brainstem glioma or Parkinson's disease.
The ClearPoint system is the only navigation platform designed to allow real-time, direct visualization during minimally-invasive neurosurgical procedures. ClearPoint software works with MRI to assist surgeons in planning a target and trajectory, and the SmartFrame ® targeting device enables the MRI-guided alignment and insertion of surgical instruments. The ClearPoint system allows surgeons to monitor the placement of instruments and devices in the brain in real time for a growing range of neurosurgical procedures, including "asleep" deep brain stimulation electrode placement, focal laser ablation, brain biopsy, shunt placement and direct delivery of investigational therapeutic agents for treatment of brain tumors and Parkinson's disease.
About the ClearPoint System
The ClearPoint ® System is a navigation platform designed to allow real-time, direct visualization during minimally-invasive neurosurgical procedures. ClearPoint software works with MRI to assist surgeons in planning a target and trajectory, and the SmartFrame ® targeting device enables the MRI-guided alignment and insertion of surgical instruments.
The ClearPoint SmartFlow ® cannula is presently FDA-cleared for injection of cytarabine, a chemotherapy drug, to the ventricles or removal of CSF from the ventricles during intracranial procedures. Delivery of other therapeutic agents using the SmartFlow cannula is investigational.
About MRI Interventions, Inc.
Founded in 1998, MRI Interventions is creating innovative platforms for performing the next generation of minimally invasive surgical procedures in the brain and heart. Utilizing a hospital's existing MRI suite, the company's FDA-cleared and CE-marked ClearPoint ® system is designed to enable a range of minimally invasive procedures in the brain. In partnership with Siemens Healthcare, MRI Interventions is developing the ClearTrace ® system to enable MRI-guided catheter ablations to treat cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation. Building on the imaging power of MRI, the company's interventional platforms strive to improve patient care while reducing procedure costs and times. For more information, please visit www.mriinterventions.com .
David Carlson Chief Financial Officer MRI Interventions, Inc. 901-522-9300
