The prognosis for pancreatic cancer remains dim. Can energy-based drug delivery brighten the odds? A startup with roots at UNC-Chapel Hill, Focal Medical, offers implantable technology to deliver drugs in higher concentrations to hard-to-reach tumor cells

Focal Medical, a startup with roots at UNC-Chapel Hill, has developed an implantable medical device that uses an electric field to deliver drugs in higher concentrations to hard-to-reach tumor cells. The technology was developed by a collaboration between a former UNC-Chapel Hill chemistry professor and a distinguished cancer surgeon. Initial research has shown promising results in shrinking pancreatic cancer tumors, and the FDA has provided positive feedback on moving the technology forward. Focal Medical is currently finalizing plans with the FDA and expects to enroll patients in its first clinical trial for treating pancreatic cancer by summer 2024. [Extracted from the article]

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