Solid State Photon Emission Probe for Application with Photodynamic Therapy Quantum Devices, Inc. Ba

1
Solid State Photon Emission Probe for Application
with Photodynamic TherapyQuantum Devices,
Inc.Barneveld, WI
Innovation Tiny pinhead-size Light Emitting
Diodes (LEDs) developed for NASA Space Shuttle
plant growth experiments.

• Accomplishments
• Obtained Food and Drug Administration approval to
  use the LED probe in the removal of childrens
  brain tumors on a trial basis.
• Further research combining LEDs and new promising
  drugs is showing the possibilities of deeper
  tumor penetration with the probe, faster reaction
  times, and shortened patient sensitivities to
  sunlight.
• Received letter of thanks from both the parents
  and 11-year old patient for which Photodynamic
  Therapy (PDT) was used to treat a brain tumor.
  To date, this has been the third child who has
  gone from a no-hope scenario, to back to school,
  thanks to the LED project.
• Commercialization
• Potential commercial applications would include
  PDT for primary brain tumors, as well as for
  other cancer oncologies, such as cancer of the
  liver, rectum, and esophagus.
• NASA News Release 97-260. Released as part of
  campaign including live shots, video file
  mailings, mass faxing, and individual mailings
  which resulted in a total of 1,169 contacts being
  made.
• Quantum Devices, Inc. is convinced from the
  results of their preliminary market research
  that an LED-based light source would have a great
  marketing advantage over the cost intensive, less
  reliable laser sources.

Neurosurgeons and nurses conduct a simulation of
surgical implantation of the Light Emitting
Diodes (LEDs) probe.

• Government/Science Applications
• Developed the LEDs as a light source for a
  chamber used by NASA to conduct plant research in
  space.
• LEDs as a low-energy light source were used on
  NASAs second United States Microgravity
  Laboratory Spacelab mission in October 1995, as
  part of the Astroculture Plant Growth Facility.
• After the FDA clinical trials, anticipating full
  approval of what soon could be the operating
  technique of the future.

Points of Contact - NASA (Denise Swain
205/544-0968) - Quantum Devices (Ron
Ignatius 608/924-3000) 1995 SBIR Phase 2
NAS8-97277
Marshall Space Flight Center Date of
Update 3/10/98 Success Story 8-003