# Low Cost Carbon Dioxide-Based Cryoablation for Breast Cancer Treatment in Low Resource Settings

> **NIH NIH R43** · KUBANDA CRYOTHERAPY, INC. · 2021 · $399,999

## Abstract

Summary
The principal goal of this proposal is to demonstrate equivalence in efficacy of CO2- based
percutaneous cryotherapy compared to commercial argon-based devices in order to improve the
accessibility of a novel low-cost breast cancer treatment device for women in low-resource areas.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Though more than
800,000 women are diagnosed each year in low-and-middle-income countries, standard treatment
options are inaccessible and unaffordable in these low resource settings, and over half of these
women will die within five years. Kubanda Cryotherapy offers a low-cost, non-resource-intensive
breast cancer treatment that can be done in local clinics under local anesthetic and ultrasound
guidance. Initial validation has been done on the current research prototype to demonstrate the
effectiveness in cooling and necrosing cancer tissue in animal models including rats, swine and
canines. This proposal aims to show that CO2-based percutaneous cryotherapy, although requiring a
longer treatment period, is equally effective in necrosing cancerous masses compared to rapid freeze
rate cryotherapy. To achieve this goal, we will perform cryotherapy using both rapid and slow freeze
rate devices on twelve client-owned dogs with naturally developed mammary tumors. We will also
quantitatively compare the cooling power of the two devices via calorimetry to obtain crucial
understanding on key parameters and limitations related to procedure efficiency in order to continue
further implementation of this technology. The main output of this project will be a robust and well-
controlled cryotherapy device demonstrated to have equivalent efficacy to commercially available
systems. Successful completion of this work will be an important step towards bridging the gap in
breast cancer treatment in LMICs and offering women a chance at treatment. Upon completion of this
proposal, we will apply for a Phase II award proposing to file IRB approval and begin clinical trials on
the Kubanda cryotherapy device in order to bring low cost, affordable and effective breast cancer
treatment to underserved communities worldwide.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10324759
- **Project number:** 1R43CA261360-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** KUBANDA CRYOTHERAPY, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Bailey Surtees
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $399,999
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10324759

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10324759, Low Cost Carbon Dioxide-Based Cryoablation for Breast Cancer Treatment in Low Resource Settings (1R43CA261360-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10324759. Licensed CC0.

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