Olympus Asia Pacific Innovation Program Finalist Feature - SONIRE Therapeutics Inc.
Olympus APAC
Worldwide leading manufacturer of optical and digital precision technology.
We’re on the home straight in our search for a winner in the Olympus Asia Pacific Innovation Program!
Over the past twelve months, Olympus APAC, alongside MedTech Innovator Asia Pacific has been on the lookout for new and innovative approaches, that create a meaningful role in the advancement of minimally invasive care and new ways to detect, monitor, and treat conditions and diseases. ?The winning innovator will receive grant funding of $75,000 as well as an exclusive mentorship program with key thought leaders from within Olympus.
In the lead-up to the winner’s announcement at the Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed) MedTech Forum to be held on the 5th and 6th of December, we caught up with the finalists of the Olympus Asia Pacific Innovation Program to learn more about each member, and the groundbreaking technologies they were developing. ?
Today, we introduce and feature SONIRE Therapeutics Inc. You can follow their MedTech journey at their LinkedIn page:
Or you can visit their website here:
A bit about SONIRE Therapeutics
SONIRE Therapeutics is a Japanese company based in Tokyo and was founded in 2020 by developing a novel ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy system using technology, clinical expertise, and regulatory science experience gained over a decade at Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tohoku University, and Tokyo Medical University.
HIFU therapy is a treatment method that focuses ultrasound waves from outside the body on the target site and thermally coagulates tissue at the intended location without utilizing radiation or invasive procedures such as skin incisions or organ excisions. Since there is no radiation exposure, HIFU treatment can be repeated even if there is a recurrence. Additionally, the short treatment period requires fewer hospital visits, minimizing disruption to the patient's daily life.
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Currently, SONIRE is conducting a clinical trial titled the "SUNRISE-I Study" for unresectable pancreatic cancer in Japan - the first of its kind in the world. The investigational device, named "Suizenji" and developed in-house by the company, was designed and employed specifically for the purposes of this study. SONIRE is also aiming to expand its footprint with plans to venture into international markets in the future.
What disease states does SONIRE Therapeutics specialise in?
SONIRE believes that all organs for which ultrasound examinations can be performed will be targeted in the future and envisions that pancreatic, biliary tract, liver, kidney, ovarian, prostate, breast cancers, and bone tumors/metastases will be among disease states that may be treated in the future, and we are currently developing HIFU therapy for pancreatic cancer as the first step.
Pancreatic cancer has the poorest prognosis among major cancers, with a five-year survival rate of 12%. The number of deaths in 2020 is 48,000 in the USA alone, ranking third in the USA among all cancers. There are still no effective treatments for pancreatic cancer, despite a strong need for innovative therapies.
Could you share more about the solution that made you a finalist for the Olympus Asia Pacific Innovation program?
HIFU therapy has been researched and developed for many years as a minimally invasive, radiation-free treatment, but it has not become widely used. A major reason for this is the immaturity of the technology for visualization of the treatment and focal regions. While the magnetic resonance-guided method has a capability of temperature mapping, it is difficult to use for respiratory moving organs such as the pancreas due to its low frame rate. On the other hand, ultrasound-guided HIFU therapy system allows for real-time imaging. However, the image quality is significantly degraded by acoustic interference of the HIFU components, and there is no quantitative monitoring method for tissue changes in a clinical setting, which makes it difficult to visualize the treatment area. As a consequence, until this point, an Ultrasound-guided HIFU therapy system for the abdomen has not been widely used in the US, Europe and Japan.
The main feature of our device is that it uses the world's first "trigger pulse" sonication method that actively utilizes cavitation bubbles for HIFU thermal treatment. This method allows bubbles to be generated and maintained only in the focal region, and enables visualization of the focal position by ultrasound imaging that is suitable for observation of the bubbles. In addition, by using the world's first HIFU noise cancellation method, noise caused by HIFU can be reduced from the ultrasound image, maintaining a clear image during HIFU exposure and allowing monitoring of respiratory motion of the entire organ. These two technological breakthroughs have dramatically improved the aiming performance and usability of ultrasound-guided HIFU. In addition, bubbles enhance ultrasound energy absorption, resulting in extremely high heating efficiency and reduced treatment time.
What does the perfect future look like for SONIRE Therapeutics? What are your company ambitions and aspirations?
SONIRE aims to bring a new future full of hope to cancer patients and their families through ultrasonic technology by providing more effective and safer treatments to cancer patients. SONIRE intends to expand its business not only domestically but also globally and to explore the possibility of applying its technology not only to pancreatic cancer but also to other types of cancer. In addition, SONIRE hopes to revolutionize cancer treatment with new therapies in combination with drugs in the future.
What opportunities does SONIRE Therapeutics see in potentially winning the Olympus Asia Pacific Innovation Program?
We are very proud to have been selected by MedTech Innovator and Olympus Corporation , a leading endoscope company and a very rare medical device maker engaged in cancer treatment. Through the Olympus Asia Pacific Innovation Program, we hope to acquire the knowledge and know-how necessary to expand our business globally so we can provide HIFU treatment to as many patients as possible, not only in Japan but also overseas.
To get into contact with SONIRE Therapeutics Inc, you can email the following address: