WEST LAFAYETTE — A new drug designed to help surgeons find ovarian cancer tumors and cells that was invented at Purdue University has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The drug is a fluorescent imaging agent that binds to cancer cells, illuminating cancerous lesions and tumors.
In a Phase 3 clinical trial, Purdue says surgeons were able to find additional tumors in 27% of the patients which would have otherwise been left behind.
Philip Low, a Purdue professor and inventor of the drug, says when a surgeon turns on the near-infrared light used in surgery, "Those lesions light up like stars against a night sky."
The drug, whose brand name is Cytalux, is the first tumor-targeted fluorescent agent for ovarian cancer to be approved by the FDA.
Watch the video below to learn more.
