# Novel Minimally Invasive Endobronchial Approach for Lung Cancer Ablation

> **NIH NIH R44** · CORIDEA, LLC · 2022 · $784,016

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY:
Lung cancer is one of the most aggressive and common malignancies world-wide. While surgical resection remains the
best chance of cure, only 20% of patients are eligible for surgery. The remaining patients are managed with combinations
of radiotherapy and chemotherapy and more recently with less invasive stereotactic radiotherapy and percutaneous
thermal ablation. Percutaneous radio-frequency ablation (RFA) or microwave ablation are cost-effective treatment
options for unresectable tumors. This minimally invasive approach, though effective for treatment of some stage 1 and
2 non-small cell lung carcinomas either alone or in combination with other therapies, suffer in terms of their ability to
create thermal destruction of the tumors with sufficient margin without risking serious adverse events like pneumothorax
and collateral injury.
The goal of this proposal is to refine the design of a full-length, endobronchial RFA system that is compatible with the
working channel of a bronchoscope and can achieve thermal ablation of peripheral nodules 2-3 cm in diameter with
minimal risk of pneumothorax. Our innovative approach overcomes past attempts of using RFA to make large lesions
without crossing the airway by combining, in a single device, air aspiration and irrigation flow to increase lesion together
with a custom RF generator algorithm. Our device is designed to be used with currently available tools for lung tumor
biopsy or imaging (e.g., radial EBUS) and can also be used in conjunction with contemporary navigation and robotic
systems.
This project will be completed in several sequential stages. For this Phase II SBIR we will optimize and refine our
innovative approach to RFA, develop a clinical-grade system with verification and validation tests, and demonstrate
safety and controllability in preclinical studies. The information obtained in this grant will be used directly to guide
EFS-IDE submission with the FDA as part of a future phase of the grant.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10495201
- **Project number:** 5R44CA239829-03
- **Recipient organization:** CORIDEA, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Howard Levin
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $784,016
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10495201

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10495201, Novel Minimally Invasive Endobronchial Approach for Lung Cancer Ablation (5R44CA239829-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10495201. Licensed CC0.

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