ANN ARBOR, MI / ACCESSWIRE / January 26, 2021 / ENDRA Life Sciences Inc. (''ENDRA'') (NASDAQ:NDRA), a pioneer of Thermo Acoustic Enhanced UltraSound (TAEUS®), has recently been issued U.S. Patent 10898166 (the ‘166 patent) from the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). This new patent, titled "Systems and Methods for Imaging Biological Tissue Structures," defines a hybrid integrated ultrasound/ thermoacoustic system and method that locates and registers the ultrasound and thermoacoustic portions of the invention relative to one another.
The ‘166 patent complements ENDRA's U.S. patent 10028662, which relates to an ultrasound/thermoacoustic system and method that utilizes separate ultrasound/ thermoacoustic systems concurrently. In addition, it is the parent application to recent patents that have issued in Europe and China, European Patent 3294142B1 and Chinese patent ZL 2016 8 00267062, respectively.
"The ‘166 patent supports ENDRA's goal to develop applications for our proprietary TAEUS® technology in areas of high unmet clinical need and with no practical existing tools. It is a key step forward in the development of optimized hybrid ultrasound and thermoacoustic imaging systems for a wide variety of clinical applications, including Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)," explained ENDRA's Chief Executive Officer, Francois Michelon. "Our IP portfolio continues to grow and currently stands at 80 assets, which we define as patents issued, filed, licensed or in preparation. As we advance TAEUS® commercial launch plans, it is essential to protect our valuable intellectual property in priority global markets."
ENDRA's commercialization of TAEUS® includes establishing clinical research partnerships worldwide, with an initial focus on Europe and the U.S. To date the company has established five research partnerships including two in Europe and three in the U.S. In December 2020 ENDRA renewed its collaboration agreement with the GE Healthcare unit of General Electric Company, extending the agreement's term by two years to December 16, 2022. GE Healthcare is the global leader in clinical ultrasound and has been ENDRA's partner since 2016.
TAEUS® is currently cleared for sale in countries that recognize the CE mark, including those in the European Union, and a 510(k) application has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
About NAFLD
NAFLD is a condition closely associated with obesity, diabetes, hepatitis C and certain genetic predispositions in which fat accumulates in the liver. NAFLD affects over 1 billion people globally and is estimated to cost the U.S. healthcare system over $100 billion annually. NAFLD is often asymptomatic and if left untreated, can progress to inflammation (NASH), tissue scarring (fibrosis), cell death (cirrhosis) and liver cancer. By 2025, NAFLD is forecast to be the greatest root cause of liver transplants. The only tools currently available for diagnosing and monitoring NAFLD are impractical, and include expensive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or an invasive surgical biopsy.
About ENDRA Life Sciences Inc.
ENDRA Life Sciences is the pioneer of Thermo Acoustic Enhanced UltraSound (TAEUS®), a ground-breaking technology being developed to visualize tissue like MRI, but at 1/50th the cost and at the point of patient care. TAEUS® is designed to work in concert with the over 1 million ultrasound systems in use globally today. TAEUS® is initially focused on the measurement of fat in the liver as a means to assess and monitor Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and inflammation (NASH), chronic liver conditions that affect over 1 billion people globally, and for which there are no practical diagnostic tools. Beyond the liver, ENDRA is exploring several other clinical applications of TAEUS®, including visualization of tissue temperature during energy-based surgical procedures. For more information, please visit www.endrainc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this news release that are not based on historical fact are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "goal," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, estimates of the timing of future events and achievements, such as the expectations regarding commercializing the TAEUS® device, establishing evaluation reference sites and initial sales in Europe, receipt of U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulatory approval and expectations concerning ENDRA's business strategy. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including, among others, our ability to develop a commercially feasible technology; receipt of necessary regulatory approvals; the impact of COVID-19 on our business plans; our ability to find and maintain development partners, market acceptance of our technology and the amount and nature of competition in our industry; our ability to protect our intellectual property; and the other risks and uncertainties described in ENDRA's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements made in this news release speak only as of the date of issuance, and ENDRA assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in expectations, except as otherwise required by law.
Company Contact:
David Wells
Chief Financial Officer
(734) 997-0464
investors@endrainc.com
www.endrainc.com
Investor Relations Contact:
Kim Sutton Golodetz
LHA Investor Relations
(212) 838-3777
kgolodetz@lhai.com
SOURCE: ENDRA Life Sciences Inc.
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