Salt Lake City-based Fluidx designed the GPX embolic device for simple preparation and controllable material delivery, packaged ready-to-use in a syringe and capable of being prepped tableside by a clinician in about 30 seconds. It may be delivered through standard microcatheters.
GPX technology represents a low viscosity, aqueous-based solution in a syringe that solidifies into a durable embolus upon delivery without polymerization or dimethyl-sulfoxide (DMSO) precipitation. Fluidx designed GPX to be highly visible and to occlude blood vessels independent of a patient’s coagulation situation.
According to a news release, the option represents an alternative to microspheres, a common treatment for many types of tumors. Metal coils, microsphere particles and/or liquids are common embolics delivered through small 0.5mm – 1.5mm outer diameter 100 – 150cm long catheters, the company said.
GPX demonstrated effective and thorough embolization, the company said in the release, filling the smallest arteries/arterioles of the distal cortex, something that wasn’t observed with 40-micron microspheres. The device was found to fill vessels more completely and penetrate deeper into smaller vessel beds than the smallest microspheres commonly used for such tumor treatments.
“GPX is demonstrating deep distal vessel penetration,” said Dr. Ryan O’Hara, M.D., interventional oncologist, University of Utah. “The ability to fill the smallest tumor feeding vessels and reach distal vessel beds is very important in effective treatment of hypervascular tumors and in other therapeutic embolic procedures.”
