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Lung Volume Reduction (LVR) by Bronchoscopic Thermal Vapor Ablation (BTVA)

Study Sponsored By Uptake Medical, Presented at the American College of Chest Physicians Annual Conference in Chicago October 21-25th

Chicago - October 22, 2007

Results of the Lung Volume Reduction by Bronchoscopic Thermal Ablation (BTVA) animal study was presented today at the annual CHEST Meeting. The objective of the study was to achieve lung volume reduction (LVR) without the adverse effects of thoracic surgery and lung excision. The study tested the hypothesis that delivery of heated water vapor into the bronchial tree would reduce targeted lung regions due to remodeling of damaged tissue, thus producing effective LVR. The study was conducted using sheep and dogs, both in normal animals and in animals previously exposed to aerosolized papain, an agent known to produce emphysema-like changes in lung function.

The study was presented by Dr. Michael J. Emery of the Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System – Seattle, Washington. "We are very pleased with the results of this animal study that test the effectiveness and safety of this technology. The outcomes of this study have laid the groundwork to move forward with this innovative technology", said Robert Barry, Founder and Chief Technical Officer of Uptake Medical.

This study showed strong evidence for substantial and dose-dependent reduction of lung volume in the treated regions due to the administration of vapor. The study demonstrated that BVTA is a technically simple, safe and effective method for producing LVR in animals with experimentally-induced emphysema. "The clinical implications of this study are exciting. BTVA is potentially a valuable new treatment for human emphysema" noted Dr. Emery.

The study was financially supported by Uptake Medical.

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About Uptake Medical Corporation
Uptake Medical, headquartered in Seattle, Washington is a privately funded medical device company developing a bronchoscopic treatment for emphysema utilizing a unique thermal vapor ablation technology.
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