MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California has enrolled the first patient in a safety study using the RenovoCath™, a new catheter that is being introduced for targeted delivery of fluids to selected sites in the peripheral vascular system. The study will help physicians determine appropriate dosing of locally-delivered chemotherapy for patients with pancreatic cancer.

"Many therapeutic agents – chemotherapy and thrombolytics, for example – have been demonstrated to be less effective when delivered systemically," said Reza Malek, MD, interventional radiologist, who led the procedure. "In this dose escalation study, we will deliver chemotherapy directly to the pancreas, potentially increasing the effectiveness of treatment and reducing side effects."

Dr. Jiali Li, an oncologist at Valley Medical Oncology, who is the principal investigator of the study, stated: "The goal of this study is to define an appropriate treatment dose when delivering chemotherapy directly to the pancreas via the arteries that feed the tumor."

"As an Advisor to RenovoRx, I was pleased to be involved in the first patient's treatment in this study," said Dr. David Madoff, Chief of Interventional Radiology at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York who consulted with the El Camino Hospital team during the procedure. "The outcome of this study could help physicians provide another treatment option for their patients with pancreatic cancer."

The pancreatic cancer patients enrolled in the study will receive local treatment delivered through the RenovoCath™ catheter (manufactured by RenovoRx in Los Altos, California), which is specifically designed for the isolation of blood flow and delivery of fluids into selected sites in the peripheral vascular system using a dual balloon occlusion design.  The proximal and distal occlusion balloons help isolate the vascular site while allowing infusion of fluids in a controlled environment. The two balloons are inflated and positioned independently using the catheter's uniquely designed two-part handle for maximum control.

About El Camino Hospital

El Camino Hospital is an acute-care, 443-bed, nonprofit and locally governed organization with campuses in Mountain View and Los Gatos, California. In addition to cancer care, key medical specialties include emergency, heart and vascular, men's health, mental health, orthopedics and spine, and women's health. The hospital is recognized as a national leader in the use of health information technology and wireless communications, and has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center as well as back-to-back ANCC Magnet Recognitions for Nursing Care.

About RenovoRx

RenovoRx (www.renovorx.com) is developing innovative solutions for the isolation of blood flow and delivery of fluids, including diagnostic material and therapeutic agents, to selected sites in the peripheral vascular system. The ability to deliver these materials at high concentration to specific vasculature, safely and without perfusion overlap to other regions, is a central paradigm of the company's technology. RenovoRx is an early stage startup based in Silicon Valley, California, and its top financial backers include Golden Seeds, Astia Angels, Sand Hill Angels, The Angels' Forum and The Halo Fund III, L.P.

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SOURCE RenovoRx