Creo upbeat on first in-human use of MicroBlate Fine

Medical device company Creo Medical Group updated the market on its 510(k) US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared tissue ablation device, ‘MicroBlate Fine’ on Wednesday, reporting that the device was successfully used for the first in-human, minimally invasive, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided treatment in a patient with an unresectable pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour.

The AIM-traded firm said the procedure was performed by Dr Carlos Robles-Medranda at Instituto Ecuatoriano de Enfermedades Digestivas (IECED) in Ecuador, with the resulting outcome being described as a success.

With a condition that was not possible to be treated surgically using traditional methods, the company said the patient required a less invasive treatment in order to potentially prolong the patient's life.

It said that, following the procedure using MicroBlate Fine, the patient remains well and is “enjoying life”.

Subsequent scans of the patient's pancreas continued to confirm the treatment's durability.

MicroBlate Fine was the third device to gain FDA regulatory clearance within Creo's portfolio of flexible endoscopy devices for the gastrointestinal market in November, and was designed to be used with the firm’s ‘CROMA’ advanced energy platform, powered by ‘Kamaptive’ full-spectrum adaptive technology.

The MicroBlate Fine device uses Creo's very high frequency microwave energy, allowing physicians to precisely ablate diseased tissue in multiple organ types and many different clinical access methods.

MicroBlate Fine has the same dimensions as a standard biopsy needle which, when used with typical EUS navigation tools, enabled improved access to and the ablation of a wide range of organs including the pancreas, liver, kidneys, lungs and muscle.

“We are delighted to report such a positive update on our 510(k) FDA-cleared tissue ablation device MicroBlate Fine,” said chief executive officer Craig Gulliford.

“The device was successfully used for the first in-human minimally invasive EUS guided treatment in a patient with an unresectable pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour in December 2020.

“The outcome of the procedure was a success, with subsequent follow up scans not only showing no return of the tumour, but also an absence of any obvious scar tissue.”

At 0947 BST, shares in Creo Medical were up 2.91% at 212p.