Press Release Source: Biophan Technologies, Inc.
Biophan to Be Issued Two New Patents for Solutions Targeting Enhanced Heart Monitoring and Nanoparticle Coatings
Friday April 1, 4:01 pm ET
Patent Opens the Way for Reducing Danger of MRI Imaging for Existing Pacemaker Recipients
ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 2005-- Biophan Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:BIPH - News), a developer of next-generation biomedical technology, has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will issue on April 5 two new patents involving proprietary developments that enable Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of heart activity and advance the manufacture of nanoparticle coatings for medical devices.
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The patents describe innovations involving a number of multi-billion-dollar biomedical marketplaces where Biophan holds a significant lead in advanced intellectual property solutions, including nanotechnology and photonic-based solutions for MRI safety and imaging compatibility.
One of the newly issued patents is part of a suite of Biophan patents that cover a wide array of technology solutions in MRI safety for implanted medical devices. This particular patent focuses on the method for use of a photonic, or fiber optic, lead that avoids MRI interference. It is intended for use in numerous biomedical diagnostic applications that require the sensing of electromagnetic fields at the body surface, and the transmission of information about those fields along the photonic lead. This technique is particularly targeted to enable electrocardiogram (EKG) measurements to be made in the imaging environment of an active MRI device.
EKG leads are known to get hot in MRI machines; some reports indicate burns have resulted from EKG devices that are claimed to be MRI compatible. It is often vital to monitor the electrophysiological status of a patient undergoing MRI, especially in a situation where a patient with a pacemaker needs an MRI diagnosis to stage them for a critical cancer operation.
This newly issued patent, and its other photonic catheter patents, have claims that relate to making an MRI-safe and image-compatible EKG lead, using a fiber optic cable which goes directly to the EKG pad on the chest or leg to sense heart rhythms. The Company has demonstrated that fiber optics are safe for use with MRI, and has also developed and patented solutions for making metal wires safe with MRI.
" This is a good example of our comprehensive approach to covering the waterfront by patenting multiple solutions to an important problem such as this," said Michael Weiner, CEO of Biophan. " These multiple patent thickets ensure a high level of patent protection for Biophan and its technology licensees."
Until pacemakers are made MRI safe by pacemaker manufacturers, dedicated physicians will continue to attempt to find ways to reduce the risks associated with giving a pacemaker patient an MRI scan. One of the risks in giving a pacemaker recipient an MRI is the danger that the electrical currents induced in the lead by the MRI gradient field sweeping across the body will induce fibrillation in the patient. Until manufacturers make future products definitively MRI-safe, something needs to be done for the 3 million people with pacemakers who would be put at risk in an MRI scan.
MRI-safe EKG leads can go a long way to reducing the dangers. That is one of the significant benefits offered by this patent. With truly safe MRI EKG leads, patients can be monitored while in the MRI machine, and defibrillated if needed. This is a particularly worrisome problem if the implantable pacemaker lead has problems, including wear or other defects that impede optimal current flow, such as corrosion or partial breakage.
" It is not reasonable to expect every MRI technician to know all this, but it is reasonable to make sure that a pacemaker patient, even one in one thousand, does not die in an MRI coil during a scan," said Mr. Weiner. " The pacemaker industry now has several solutions. It is time for them to take action. It is their ethical imperative."
The other newly issued patent describes specific details that relate to the creation of a layered electromagnetic shielding assembly from nanoparticulates consisting of relatively common materials such as aluminum, iron, nickel, and cobalt. Various medical applications of this technology are under license to Biophan.
Following the most recent issuances, the Company holds a total of 36 issued patents, 6 allowed patents that have been approved for subsequent issuance, with 72 still undergoing the patent examination process. Biophan and its licensors hold a total of 114 U.S. patents, licenses or applications.
" These latest patent issuances lend further support and strength to Biophan's intellectual property portfolio, which we are building with the intent to establish control of a growing number of biomedical markets," said Mr. Weiner. " For example, one of the newly-issued patents has the potential to enable creation of improved diagnostic methods for heart monitoring through the use of new MRI-based techniques. Biophan's solutions in this area could enable doctors to use MRI imaging in cardiac procedures, bringing MRI's advantages in safety and imaging resolution to this critical area of medical care. However, our intellectual property strategy involves patent protection for the widest possible uses and markets for our technologies."
About Biophan Technologies
Biophan develops and markets cutting-edge technologies designed to make biomedical devices safe and compatible with the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. The Company develops enabling technologies for implanted medical systems such as pacemakers and interventional surgical devices such as catheters, guidewires, stents, and other implants to allow them to be safely and effectively imaged under MRI. The technology is also being used to create MRI contrast agents, and has expanded to include other applications, such as drug delivery and power systems derived from body heat. Four Biophan technologies include advances in nanotechnology and thin film coatings. Committed to growth through innovation and developmental leadership, Biophan and its licensors now hold a total of 114 U.S. patents, licenses, or applications. This total includes 36 issued U.S. patents, 6 recently-allowed applications that will issue as patents in the near future, and 72 pending applications at various stages of examination at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, plus international applications. The patents cover areas including nanotechnology (nanomagnetic particle coatings), radio frequency filters, polymer composites, thermoelectric materials for batteries generating power from body heat, and photonics. Biophan has joint development arrangements with Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX - News) and NASA's Ames Center for Nanotechnology. Biophan's goal is to make all biomedical devices capable of safely and successfully working with MRI, and delivering other technologies which will improve quality of life. For more information, please visit www.biophan.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements reflect what Biophan anticipates, expects, or believes may happen in the future. Biophan's actual results could differ materially from the outcome or circumstance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors including, but not limited to: Biophan's ability to develop its technologies; the approval of Biophan's patent applications; the successful implementation of Biophan's research and development programs; the ability of Biophan to demonstrate the effectiveness of its technology; the acceptance by the market of Biophan's technology and products incorporating such technology, the ability of Biophan to effectively negotiate and enter into contracts with medical device manufacturers for the licensing of Biophan's technology; competition; the ability of Biophan to raise capital to fund its operating and research and development activities until it generates revenues sufficient to do so; and the timing of projects and trends in future operating performance, as well as other factors expressed from time to time in Biophan's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC" ). As a result, this press release should be read in conjunction with Biophan's periodic filings with the SEC which are incorporated herein by reference. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as of the date of this press release, and Biophan undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
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Contact:
Biophan Technologies, Inc.
Carolyn Hotchkiss, 585-214-2407
OR
Press Interviews:
Jennifer Gould, 212-843-8037
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Source: Biophan Technologies, Inc.
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