Ferronova is an Australian startup company commercialising magnetic nanoparticle and molecular imaging intellectual property developed at the University of South Australia, Victoria University in New Zealand, and the University of Sydney. Ferronova’s core program involves hybrid magnetic-fluorescent tracers targeting sentinel lymph node mapping in complex solid tumor cancers such as head and neck and gastro-intestinal cancers. Working closely with the Royal Adelaide Hospital and University of Adelaide head and neck cancer department, the program has included extensive pre-clinical efficacy and safety testing, in multiple species of animals, resulting in ethics approval for a first-in-human trial that is in progress at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The talk will provide an overiew of the technology, describe the program towards CE marking and FDA approval, and provide a case study of clinical workflow in an existing large animal study.
BIOGRAPHY
CMO
Dr. Anil Shetty is the Chief Medical Officer of Ferronova and President of Ferronova USA based in Houston, Texas. Dr Shetty was previously the Director of Clinical Operations at Visualase, and a key member of the executive team which led the Houston-based medical startup to a $110 million Medtronic acquisition. He has led development of products for epilepsy, spinal tumors, radiation necrosis and prostate cancer, and developed a network of clinics offering MRI guided biopsy and focal therapy for prostate cancer. He has a fellowship from MD Anderson Cancer Center and a Biomedical Engineering degree from Texas A&M. He has co-authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications in oncology, radiology, neurology and neurosurgery.