19 September 2017 - - US-based biomedical device company US Medical Innovations, LLC's (USMI) parent company, US Patent Innovations, LLC (USPI), has signed a USD 5.3m sponsored research agreement with the George Washington University (GW) in Washington, DC, the company said.

Under the agreement, USPI will fund a new plasma-based cancer (PBC) therapy programme for USMI's development of biomedical applications for plasma technology, particularly in the treatment of cancer.

The newly-funded programme will expand the collaboration between Jerome Canady, M.D. Chief Science Officer of the Jerome Canady Research Institute for Advanced Biological and Technological Sciences (JCRI-ABTS), chairman of the board of managers at USPI and Dr. Michael Keidar, the A. James Clark Professor of Engineering in GW's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Canady, Keidar, consulting scientists and other subsidiaries of USPI will explore potential applications for cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) in the treatment of cancer.

Plasma medicine is a new and rapidly-emerging field of research with the use of plasma in cancer treatment being one of the most promising applications.

To date, the remarkable anti-cancer capacity of CAP has been demonstrated using dozens of cancer cell lines, both in vitro and in vivo.

The effect of CAP on numerous types of cancer including brain cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, leukemia, head and neck cancer, and hepatoma have been intensively investigated.

The use of CAP-based instruments has already shown promise in the treatment of cancer.

In January 2017, Rush University Medical surgical team led by Dr. Keith Millikan successfully used the Canady Helios Cold Plasma Scalpel (CHCPS) to selectively kill cancerous tissue during a two-stage liver resection for advanced inoperable liver cancer.

The innovative technology allowed the surgical removal of the cancerous tissue without damaging the blood supply to the remaining liver.

JCRI-ABTS and USMI will apply for FDA Investigational Device Exemption to start a clinical trial on the Canady HeliosTM Cold Plasma Device for the treatment of cancer in 4Q17

US Medical Innovations, LLC (USMI) is a private US biomedical device company and wholly-owned subsidiary of US Patent Innovations, LLC, a private investment company.

USMI's focus is developing advanced innovative affordable plasma and robotic electrosurgical devices and striving to develop innovative devices in the field of plasma technology for the eradication of cancer.