Brainsway has reported positive preliminary results of study using Deep transcranial magnetic stimluation (TMS) systems to open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in patients with brain tumors.
The study was conducted in collaboration between Ben-Gurion University led by principal investigator Alon Friedman and the University of Rome led by principal investigator Maurizio Inghilleri.
The changes in BBB permeability were measured in each patient following both active Deep TMS treatment and sham stimulation.
The clinical trial confirms and extends the findings of a previous animal study conducted at Ben-Gurion University.
BBB opening was observed in patients shortly after the stimulation protocol and was quantified using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and special protocols for BBB permeability measurement developed at the Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience at Ben Gurion University.
Ben-Gurion University principal investigator Alon Friedman said these preliminary results suggest that this non-invasive method for opening the BBB is safe and effective, but of course, this conclusion will have to be borne out by the final results of this trial and the results of follow up studies.
The company claims, depending on the final results of the present trial, it may examine the possibility of performing a multicenter clinical trial in patients with other kinds of brain tumors to examine the safety and efficacy of this novel method.