R&D Magazine Selects Axxent(R) Miniature Brachytherapy X-ray Source as One of the 100 Most Technologically Significant Products of the Past Year SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 24
SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Xoft, Inc. today announced that
the Axxent(R) High Dose Rate (HDR) X-ray Source has been selected to receive
an R&D 100 Award from R&D Magazine as one of the year's most technologically
significant products. Established by the editors of R&D Magazine in 1963, the
R&D 100 Awards are designed to recognize significant technological
achievements and products that leapfrog current technology and that provide
simple, elegant solutions to complex or long-standing technical or practical
problems.
Over the past 45 years, the R&D 100 Awards have recognized winning
products with such household names as the flashcube (1965), the automated
teller machine (1973), the fax machine (1975), the liquid crystal display
(1980), the Kodak Photo CD (1991), the Nicoderm antismoking patch (1992),
Taxol anticancer drug (1993), and HDTV (1998).
"The Axxent miniature X-ray source is a fundamentally new way to deliver
therapeutic radiation. Previously, there has been external beam radiation,
generally delivered by a linear accelerator, or brachytherapy, a radioactive
isotope delivering radiation internal to the body," said Paul Lovoi PhD, CTO
and co-founder of Xoft. "The Axxent source can deliver internal or external
radiation and, because of the lower energy, can deliver this radiation in any
minimally-shielded setting. Until the Xoft miniature X-ray source, there has
been no new modality of radiation treatment in over 40 years. The Xoft Axxent
X-ray source is the enabling technology for many generations of increasingly
more sophisticated, accurate, and accessible radiation treatment systems."
The Axxent(R) HDR X-ray source is a miniature disposable X-ray tube, 2.25
mm in diameter, that can be inserted into the body to deliver a 50 kVp
therapeutic dose of radiation for cancer treatment. In comparison, the next
smallest medical X-ray source currently in use is more than 10 times larger.
The source is part of the Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System which is FDA
cleared for use in the radiation treatment of cancers or other conditions.
Specific applicators are cleared for treatment of early stage breast cancer
and for endometrial and rectal cancers.
As a platform technology, the Axxent System is designed to deliver
non-radioactive therapy directly to cancer sites with minimal radiation
exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. Because of its unique characteristics,
radiation from the Axxent HDR X-ray Source can be easily shielded, allowing
medical personnel to be present during treatment delivery, minimizing patient
anxiety.
"Eliminating the need for the heavily-shielded vaults required by existing
radiation therapy technologies, such as radioactive isotopes and linear
accelerators, will allow the therapy to move to the patient rather than
forcing the patient to come to specialty treatment centers. This will make the
best treatment available annually to tens of thousands of cancer patients
worldwide that otherwise would not receive it. This is especially important
for patients that may not have access to specialized vaults because of the
cost of travel and lodging plus the impact of being absent from jobs and
families during treatment," said Tom Rusch, PhD, VP of Technical Outreach and
Xoft co-founder.
"Known as one of the most prestigious honors in the field of research and
development, the R&D 100 Award is a mark of excellence known to industry,
government, and academia validating that the product is one of the most
innovative ideas of the year," said Michael Klein, president and CEO of Xoft.
"We are extremely proud of our R&D team and their efforts to invent and bring
to market a paradigm shifting technology in the treatment of cancer. Not only
does the Axxent System have the potential to dramatically improve access to an
easier and more convenient form of treatment, it also supports the federal
government directive to develop viable substitutes for radioactive isotopes
which carry environmental and national security concerns."
To learn more about the R&D 100 Awards, visit http://www.RDmag.com
About Xoft, Inc.
Founded in 1998, Xoft develops leading-edge technologies for the practice
of radiation oncology through Electronic Brachytherapy, which utilizes
proprietary miniaturized X-ray tube technology. The Axxent(R) Electronic
Brachytherapy System, Xoft's first treatment system, is currently being used
in Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI) for the treatment of
early-stage breast cancer and in the treatment of endometrial cancer. For more
information, visit http://www.xoftinc.com
Axxent is a registered trademark of Xoft, Inc.
SOURCE Xoft, Inc.
