Ablatus - creators of Luna

Ablatus is the first spin-out company from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and is developing bimodal electric tissue ablation - a revolutionary innovative ablation technology for the treatment of soft tissues like tumours and fibroids. Traditional Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) uses Alternating Current to generate radiofrequency (RF) energy, which when delivered to target tissues via a probe results in localised heating and tissue destruction. However, RFA is susceptible to the phenomenon of 'roll-off' whereby the heating effect desiccates the target tissue, resulting in charring and an increase in tissue impedance, which limits the amount of RF energy that can be deposited. Roll-off therefore limits the size of tumours that can be effectively treated with RFA. Our technology overcomes the limitations of RFA by including a DC modality to compliment the RF-generating AC. The application of DC to the ablation zone induces electroendosmosis in the target tissue which draws water to the ablation probe, thereby preventing tissue desiccation and the increase in impedance that leads to roll-off. The result is substantially greater ablation zones compared to RFA and the potential to treat previously untreatable tumours. Ablatus is looking to complete product development and first-in-human studies to bring a novel treatment for uterine fibroids to global markets.