The MIRA Institute for Biomedical
Technology and Technical Medicine of the
University of Twente has been awarded a €1.9 million grant from the
Dutch government's 'Pieken in de Delta' regional economic
development scheme. With the grant it will develop technology to
enable robot-assisted operations inside MRI scanners. The
researchers will initially develop the technology for the diagnosis
and treatment of prostate cancer, but the technology will be
applicable for a variety of minimally invasive surgical procedures.
MIRA will be working on the project in partnership with the
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre,
Demcon, Siemens and Xivent Medical.
New developments in medical technology mean that medical
treatments are becoming increasingly effective and less invasive.
Within the realm of 'minimally invasive surgery', operations will
be carried out through a natural body opening or a small incision,
where the clinician will use extremely small,
robotically-controlled instruments. The advantage of this type of
surgery is that it reduces patient trauma and enables quicker
recovery time.
Because clinicians cannot directly see the area being operated
on during minimally invasive surgery, they often rely on medical
imaging techniques. One of the best known of these is Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (MRI). This method would be highly suitable for
use in combination with certain minimally invasive surgeries were
it not for the fact that MRI scanners use extremely strong magnets.
As a result traditional instrumentation made of ferromagnetic
materials cannot be used in the scanner. Further, due interference
with the electromagnetic field, conventional electronic equipment
is not suitable.
MIRIAM
The University of Twente, working in partnership with the
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Demcon Advanced
Mechatronics, Siemens and Xivent Medical, has been awarded a €1.9
million grant to make robot-assisted surgery inside an MRI scanner
possible. The development of this technology will be carried out as
part of the MIRIAM (Minimally Invasive Robotics in an MRI
Environment) project. In this project researchers will be examining
the possibilities offered by MRI for the correct positioning of
needles and other medical instruments. The challenges to be
overcome are the design of a robotic system, the development of
computer models to navigate the needle through tissue, and the
testing of the developed system.
Prostate cancer
The project will initially focus on the diagnosis and treatment
of prostate cancer, which is the most frequently diagnosed type of
malignant tumour, with 346,000 new cases in Europe every year. MIRA
aims to use the technique when taking tissue samples and when
treating prostate cancer with the help of brachytherapy, where
radioactive material is placed inside the tumour. In both cases the
surgeon has to position a needle with great accuracy. Clinicians
are currently dependent on MRI scans that have been made in advance
for this. If these operations were to be carried out inside an MRI
scanner, the clinician could see real time images showing whether
the needle had been correctly positioned. MIRA aims to develop a
working prototype in four to five years.
According to the researchers the project will not only bring
about an improvement in healthcare, it will also have a
considerable economic impact. They say that a conservative estimate
of its ultimate market value would be around €110 million.
Note to editors:
The MIRIAM project is a partnership of the Radboud
University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Demcon Advanced Mechatronics,
Siemens and Xivent Medical, lead by the MIRA Institute for
Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine of the University of
Twente. The Control Engineering, Biomechanical Engineering and
Biomedical Signals & Systems groups at the University of Twente
are collaborating on the project.
