Personalised health technology is transforming healthcare in many ways. This revolutionary technology targets precise individual needs, making medical treatment both more effective and more accessible, thereby supporting public health and the well-being of our society.
Operating where technological and medical sciences meet, our faculty’s work in the field of Personalised Health Technology centres on real-world health applications that target the needs of both patients and health professionals. Our teams support projects like disease prevention and detection, improved rehabilitation, surgical interventions, characterisation of biological tissue and fluidic flows, and healthcare design, including physical interaction and services.
With solutions like these, we are blazing new trails into the future of healthcare. Personalised health technology helps people to stay healthy, helps clinicians identify which diseases individuals are prone to, making diagnoses faster and minimising the effects of disease. Our work on Personalised Health Technology ties in with the United Nations’ 3rd Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): ‘Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being’.
This theme brings together research groups across UT, including:
1. MIRIAM: ‘Minimally Invasive Robotics in an MR environment’
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Europe, with current procedure using transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy. This method misses up to 31% of prostate cancer occurrences. The MIRIAM project developed a Magnetic Resonance (MR)-compatible device for prostate cancer biopsy and treatment, as MR images offer better anatomical visualisation compared to TRUS.
2. ULTIMO: ‘Understanding Liver Treatment to Improve Microsphere Optimal distribution’
The number of liver tumours is increasing dramatically. One treatment strategy is radioembolisation, whereby radioactive microspheres are injected into the tumour. Together with industrial and clinical partners, ULTIMO researchers are investigating how the catheter position, injection velocity, and other factors can influence the microsphere destination in the tumour, using computational modelling, in vivo imaging, and in vitro experiments.
3. MOCIA: ‘Maintaining Optimal Cognitive Function in Ageing’.
Cognitive decline during aging is a pressing concern. In MOCIA, researchers wanted to signal an increased risk of cognitive decline and improve prevention by developing a personalised lifestyle solution. Within the NWO crossover programme, our Interaction Design group has developed an eHealth tool that supports people’s transition towards a healthy lifestyle.
Theme leader:
prof.dr. S. Misra (Sarthak)
Full Professor Surgical Robotics