Abstract

Although the standard of care for lymphatic staging in breast cancer has been established for over two decades, the availability of the Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) technique has been limited due to its reliance on radioisotopes.  Endomagnetics was founded to resolve availability through the application of magnetic nanoparticles and novel sensing technology.  SentiMag is an extremely sensitive hand-held magnetic susceptometer that can accurately detect minute concentrations of the nanoparticle tracer Sienna+, and the combined system has been approved for marketing in Europe since late 2011.  The system’s initial application was as an intra-operative medical device for sentinel node localisation in breast cancer, but it has shown promise in other indications such as melanoma, prostate and colorectal cancer.  By using magnetic nanoparticles, the technology overcomes the disadvantages of the current radioisotope-based technique – such as limited availability, poor workflow, short lifetime, and issues of specialist handling and exposure to radiation – to provide a lower cost, more patient-friendly alternative for clinicians. This could benefit as many as a quarter of a million more breast cancer patients in the West alone.  Dr Mayes will discuss Endomagnetics’ development of the system, the clinical performance of magnetic nanoparticles in lymphatic staging for breast cancer and the regulatory challenges leading to marketing authorisation.