ANN ARBOR–The Ann Arbor medical device maker Endra Life Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq: NDRA) annlounced issuance of three new patents, one in the U.S. and two in Europe.
The new patents bring Endra’s intellectual property portfolio now includes 67 issued patents worldwide, providing protection for its Thermo Acoustic Enhanced UltraSound (TAEUS) technology for medical imaging.
The following three patents strengthening the TAEUS system’s proprietary position were issued:
- S. Patent No. 11730374, titled “Radio Frequency Applicator for a Thermoacoustic Imaging System,” relates to a novel radio frequency applicator with an integrated wedge. The integrated wedge minimizes unwanted signals emanating from a patient’s skin, while maximizing radio frequency energy delivery to a patient’s targeted region of interest.
- European Patent No. 3902495, titled “Method and System for Monitoring Tissue Temperature,” relates to a novel method and system for monitoring tissue temperature during surgical procedures by utilizing ENDRA’s TAEUS system. ENDRA expects its method and system to be effective for both thermotherapy and cryotherapy procedures. This patent is linked to its parent, U.S. Patent No. 10631734B1.
- European Patent No. 3806721, titled “Method and System for Determining Fractional Fat Content of Tissue,” covers a method and system for determining fractional fat content of tissue that takes into consideration the speed of sound in that tissue. This patent builds upon ENDRA’s issued patents in the area of tissue fat quantification. Conventional ultrasound image formation methodologies assume a single speed of sound, while this issued patent leverages TAEUS’ inherent sensitivity to fractional fat differences in tissue to estimate the actual speed of sound in tissue and thereby improves the accuracy of TAEUS fat quantification methodologies. The patent also describes a calibration methodology for fractional fat measurements, and is linked to its parent, U.S. Patent No. 10258277B2.
“These issued patents in two key geographies advance and protect ENDRA’s thermoacoustic imaging systems in areas with high unmet clinical need,” said Francois Michelon, Endra chairman and CEO.
Endra Life Sciences is developing TAEUS technology to visualize tissue like MRI, but at 1/50th the cost and at the point of patient care, using existing ultrasound devices common at most medical clinics. TAEUS is initially focused on the measurement of fat in the liver as a means to assess and monitor Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), chronic liver conditions that affect over two billion people globally, and for which there are no practical diagnostic tools. Beyond the liver, Endra is exploring several other clinical applications of TAEUS, including visualization of tissue temperature during energy-based surgical procedures. More at www.endrainc.com.