Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is the world’s first site to treat a patient in the TULSA-PRO Ablation Clinical Trial (TACT), which employs an emerging therapy that uses MRI guidance and robotically driven therapeutic ultrasound to obtain precise prostate cancer tissue ablation.
A joint effort between Urology, Radiology and the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, the research is led by Vanderbilt Investigators David Penson, M.D., MPH, professor and chair of Urologic Surgery, and Sandeep Arora, MBBS, assistant professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences.
"MR-guided therapeutic ultrasound is a unique, non-invasive to minimally-invasive tool for tissue ablation with myriad applications," Arora said. "We are truly excited to bring forth the distinctly innovative TULSA-PRO therapy at Vanderbilt as part of this clinical trial."
Penson and Arora treated the first patient on Wednesday at VUMC.
“Enrolling the first patient in this trial is truly exciting for our institution," Penson said. "We recognize the potential value that TULSA provides to the clinical community to address the unmet needs associated with current prostate cancer treatments. We are pleased to collaborate with the other clinical trial sites in the effort to advance this promising therapy.”
For additional information on the results of the previous Phase 1 clinical study for TULSA-PRO, and to read the full press release by the VUMC Reporter, click here.
