PFI TT: A hand-held device for rapid and accurate determination of cancerous tumor margins during surgical resections

Award ID: 2141183

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project improves outcomes for cancer patients. The proposed research will develop a hand-held device that helps surgeons rapidly and accurately determine the marginal areas around the tumor during surgery. Correct tumor removal (known as resection) reduces the surgical time, the recovery time, and the risk of subsequent surgeries. The proposed technology will reduce cost and improve outcomes. The proposed project will demonstrate a hand-held sensor device that rapidly and accurately determines the resection area around a tumor during surgery. Identifying and verifying the resection perimeter can be challenging, and inaccurate determination of tumor margins can lead to subsequent surgeries. The proposed research will investigate: 1) rapid, accurate and consistent measurement of hydroxyl radicals as a biomarker for active tumor growth, and 2) the relationship between hydroxyl radical concentrations and the cancer stage of progression. The project will design and optimize the sensor tip and electrode composition and geometry to minimize noise; it will further validate the data with in vitro tests using 3-D spheroids matrixes with varying hydroxyl radical levels. 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: Mara E. Schindelholz