Gammapod System Developed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Targets Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Friday, July 12, 2013
An experimental innovation in cancer treatment from the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine could provide a new, high-precision, noninvasive method of treating early-stage breast cancer. The GammaPod was invented by Cedric Yu, MS, DSc, the Carl M. Mansfield Endowed Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, who patented the technology in 2006. Although the device has not yet been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used on patients, the manufacturer is actively seeking that approval and the department hopes to begin clinical trials as soon as October 2013.
Dr. Yu’s research was funded initially by $3.5 million in Small Business Innovation Research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). With support from the University of Maryland, Baltimore's Office of Research and Development (ORD), he founded a new company called Xcision Medical Systems, LLC, to pursue the development of the GammaPod. In 2010, Dr. Yu received the University System of Maryland’s Entrepreneur of the Year award for his research leading to the development of the GammaPod. “I am so happy that this university encourages entrepreneurship and recognizes the importance of translational research that converts new knowledge into new products,” says Dr. Yu.