Autonomix Medical, a medical device company focused on advancing innovative technologies to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of diseases involving the nervous system, has announced the successful completion of an animal study evaluating the potential of targeted nerve ablation to impact tumor metastases and growth.

In the preclinical mouse study, two groups of mice were implanted with human pancreatic tumor cells (Mia PaCa2) into the pancreatic head region.

The experimental group received peri-pancreatic neural ablation (ethanol infusion over the pancreatic nerves), while the control group received no treatment. Results from the experimental group showed a statistically significant reduction in tumor mass growth and metastases compared to the control group. Specifically, there was a 60% difference in local invasion and a 40% difference in liver metastases between the two groups.

Chief Executive Officer of Autonomix, commented, “The successful completion of this preclinical animal study and highly encouraging results support the clinical literature suggesting that nerve fibers may be a pathway for cancer cell metastasis and tumor growth.

These results further support the concept that neural pathways play a significant role in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. Despite the small sample size in this preclinical study, the experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in metastasis.

While our current proof of concept study in pancreatic cancer is focused on pain reduction through nerve ablation near the pancreas, further studies will explore whether these preclinical findings can be translated into clinical applications of our technology.

There is potential for our ablation technology to inhibit human pancreatic cancer growth and metastasis, which may be investigated in future clinical studies. Our commitment to advancing clinical solutions for patients drives our ongoing efforts as we develop unique and proprietary technologies to safely and reliably ablate nerves across multiple indications, from pain to hypertension.”

The Company’s catheter-based sensing technology is being developed to sense neural signals associated with pain or disease and precisely target those nerves for treatment.

Autonomix believes this technology offers a better alternative to current approaches, where doctors often rely on systemic drugs like opioids with diminishing effectiveness and unwanted side effects, or treat suspected areas blindly, which can be inaccurate and may cause collateral damage to surrounding tissues.

Initially, the Company is developing its technology to address pancreatic cancer-related pain. Current approaches, primarily relying on opioids or invasive ethanol injections, can provide only limited relief and may lead to risky side effects.

 

Source: globenewswire.com

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