LifeBridge Innovations
A Beacon of Hope for Metastatic Cancer Patients

ancer treatment modalities such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, while effective in certain cases, have limitations. They often entail significant side effects, lack specificity leading to collateral damage to healthy tissues, carry risks of resistance and secondary cancers, impose psychological burdens, and exacerbate disparities in accessibility and affordability, thus driving ongoing research for more precise and less toxic therapies.

Here, a fourth modality in cancer treatment, Tumor Treating Fields (TTF), has gained recognition, especially for Glioblastoma patients, with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network endorsing it as a standard of care. It offers a non-invasive, targeted, and minimally side-effect treatment option that can be applied continuously, often in conjunction with other therapies, providing convenience and potential benefits for cancer patients.

LifeBridge Innovations is a leading developer of an advanced, patented Adaptive Tumor Treating Field device (ATTF) that has made groundbreaking progress in this cancer therapy. “We are revolutionizing cancer treatment by delivering ATTF that is able to optimize all the major variables of tumor treating fields and is able to treat cancer in multiple body locations simultaneously, giving hope to stage 4 patients who would otherwise lack viable options without this fourth modality,” says Peter Travers, founder, and CEO of LifeBridge Innovations.

TTF’s innovative value lies in its ability to disrupt cancer cells’ function during division using specifically tuned electric fields. These fields interact with charged particles within the cells, disrupting their normal function during cell division. This causes cancer cells to produce malformed daughter cells that are under distress, which triggers an immune response leading to cell destruction and tumor size reduction.

One of the problems existing TTF arrays face is rapid heating, impacting therapy effectiveness. To address this, existing TTF is delivered under an algorithm that lowers intensity to minimize heat. LifeBridge (LB10000), the company’s device, differentiates itself by its ability to computerize its arrays and allowing each disc to operate on lower duty cycles. Its maximum duty cycle is only 33 percent, often dropping to 25 percent, yet the tumor consistently receives tumor-treating fields from multiple angles. This eliminates the heat issue from the outset. Theoretically, wearing its device delivers therapy at the optimal intensity, a stark contrast to the mere one third of the recommended intensity achieved by the current technology to avoid overheating.

In cases where cancer treatment necessitates frequencies like 140, 150, and 160 kilohertz in rotation, LifeBridge Innovation’s computerized device enables flexible frequency sweeping across desired ranges and sequences. These capabilities are expected to contribute to enhanced tumor reduction.

The arrays can then be placed into maintenance devices for treatment the following day. It can be worn for as little as 12 hours a day. Once removed, individuals can resume their daily activities, including work or swimming, without experiencing side effects from tumor-treating fields.

LifeBridge Innovations will be dedicated to the continued refinement of the device. Last year, it secured acceptance into Johnson and Johnson’s JLABS. This relationship will connect it with prominent universities for advanced research on LB10000. In terms of clinical trials, its enthusiasm is centered around advancing towards preventing metastatic recurrence. The company’s FDA-approved protocol, utilizing a basket trial design, will enable it to address up to 14 different types of cancer in a single trial. The FDA will permit it to treat asymptomatic tumors.

Typically, metastatic cancer returns, and unfortunately, over 95 percent of patients succumb to it. Most metastatic cancer patients have temporary times of remission followed by a time of asymptomatic recurrence before advanced disease develops. LifeBridge Innovations will intervene at this stage, targeting and eliminating small tumors as they just become visible on scans. The goal is to keep the patient on maintenance therapy, effectively managing the cancer over an extended period. The company’s approach to deterring metastatic cancer from recurring aligns with its long-term vision of transforming metastatic cancer into a manageable condition akin to diabetes.

We are revolutionizing cancer treatment by delivering Adaptive Tumor Treating Fields that optimize the therapy and treats cancer in multiple body locations simultaneously, giving hope to stage 4 patients who would otherwise lack viable options without this fourth modality

LifeBridge Innovations also utilizes an advanced medical simulator, SIM4life. This simulation incorporates human phantoms featuring all 140 different types of human tissues, complete with their respective electrical properties. This simulator is equipped with sophisticated physics solvers, and LB10000 is integrated into the phantoms, each with unique characteristics.

The process begins by obtaining an image of a patient’s cancer and importing it into the computerized phantom, precisely replicating the tumor’s location. With LB10000 spanning the entire torso and offering numerous firing configurations, LifeBridge Innovations conducts simulations with various setups. This allows it to determine the firing configuration that delivers the highest intensity tumor-treating field through the tumor for the most extended duration, minimizing strain on the system. Once the optimal firing configuration sequence is identified, it is saved and transferred to the patient’s specific wave generator. This personalized configuration ensures that each patient receives a customized therapy plan.

The company is presently focusing on concluding its animal study by May 2024. It aims to obtain investigational device exemption (IDE) from the FDA, with a targeted completion date by October.

“If all goes as planned, we aim to initiate our inaugural human clinical trial either in December 2024 or in the following months of January and February. This pilot study will involve 36 participants and marks the commencement of our first official clinical trial involving human subjects,” says Travers.