I-Corps: A Minimally Invasive Palpation Device for Intraoperative Tumor Detection

Award ID: 2325222

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of intraoperative robotic palpation device that can significantly improve the outcome of cancer treatment. A major problem that our device intends to solve is that tumors with sub-centimeter in their size are difficult to identify via preoperative imaging and during minimally invasive intraoperative procedures. Our robotic palpation device can be deployed into the patients body and quickly generate a tissue stiffness map at the pathologic region with a high spatial resolution. By enabling precise and prompt detection of tumors, regardless of their size, this technology can significantly enhance the outcomes of tumor resection surgery. This technology has a wide range of potential applications beyond intraoperative tumor detection. It has the capability to identify diseased tissues, including fibrotic tissues, whose physical characteristics have undergone alterations. Altogether, this cutting-edge technology has the unparalleled ability to identify diseased tissues, providing invaluable quantitative information to empower clinicians to confidently make data-driven decisions about the most effective treatment strategies. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a robotic palpation device that can help surgeons to detect tumors during minimally invasive robot-assisted cancer treatment surgery. In open chest surgery, surgeons frequently rely on manual palpation to detect tumors that may not be visible on imaging techniques, such as X-ray, CT, or MRI, especially those small than 1 cm. However, a persistent technical challenge involving the robot-assisted surgery is the surgeons inability to touch and feel the tissues during the surgery. As a result of the surgeons loss of tactile sensation, small tumors can remain undetected, leading to incomplete tumor removal that can cause cancer progression, recurrence, and metastasis. This innovation is a robotic finger that can be deployed into the patients body during surgery and survey the pathologic tissue areas to generate a tissue stiffness map that is correlated to the presence of tumorous tissues that must be removed surgically. This innovation will offer surgeons the ability to pinpoint all tumors with substantially improved accuracy and resolution, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes and a reduction in cancer recurrence and metastasis. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman