BY SEAN WHOOLEY

The TULSA-PRO system from Profound Medical. [Image from Siemens Healthineers]Profound Medical (Nasdaq:PROF) announced today that it entered into a non-exclusive collaboration with Siemens Healthineers.
The two companies aim to lay the groundwork for Profound to begin marketing a complete therapeutics solution. They want to combine the Profound TULSA-PRO system with the Siemens Magnetom Free.Max magnetic resonance (MR) scanner.
While this combination falls under the remit of Profound’s own sales force, the company also plan to market TULSA-PRO as a standalone offering. This enables customers to use the technology with the MR hardware of their choice.
TULSA-PRO performs the company’s transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) procedure. It employs real-time MR guidance for precision while killing targeted prostate tissue through sound absorption technology. The system enables surgeons to ablate whole- or partial-gland prostate tissue in patients with low- intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer. It also treats benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It can treat prostate cancer patients on active surveillance seeking treatment of their cancer and relief from symptoms of BPH.
Magnetom Free.Max broadens the range of MR clinical applications and offers the inherent benefits of a mid-field MR scanner. It also facilitates MR scanning for larger and/or claustrophobic patients to enhance the patient experience.
The companies expect to bring their integrated offering to the market in 2025.
Comments from executives at Profound and Siemens Healthineers
Profound CEO and Chair Arun Menawat said the partnership enables more accurate and precise diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Siemens Healthineers as we work toward offering a total diagnostic and interventional MR solution that can streamline workflow; optimize cost of care; and most importantly, improve the treatment experience for urologists and their patients by ensuring TULSA can be readily accessed in the most suitable settings,” said Menawat.
Siemens Healthineers VP of Global Marketing & Sales for MR, Donald Hardie, said the companies hope to advance an integrated, MRI-centric approach for prostate cancers worldwide.
“Our collaboration with Profound underscores our commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as TULSA-PRO to make a difference in prostate cancer therapy,” Hardie said. “Magnetom Free.Max has already brought MR to new places, varying from orthopedic centers to rural hospitals, where patients need MR imaging most.”