EPSRC UK IMAGE-GUIDED THERAPIES NETWORK+
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Imaging & Biomedical Engineering
Abstract
Image-guided therapy (IGT) combines simulation and modelling, imaging and sensing, computing, robotics as well as visualisation to improve the localisation and targeting of pathological tissue with surgical instruments and focused energy delivery. With the widespread acceptance of minimally invasive interventions, IGT is increasingly important for enhancing the capabilities of the surgeon and advancing the frontiers of interventional capabilities. Translating IGT innovation into clinical practice relies on effective collaboration, knowledge dissemination and sharing, because IGT is a cross-disciplinary and cross-modality field in which physicians, physicists, engineers, and computer scientists work jointly to build solutions. Deploying such solutions in clinical practice relies on effective management of the workflow and ergonomics of technology in the interventional theatre and on information exchange between systems within well-defined secure protocols that can pass regulatory certification and patient safety standardisation. The diversity and complexity of IGT systems positions this domain as a critical field to advance the possibilities of physical interventions through a coordinated effort, discussion, road mapping and vision that can only be facilitated through an EPSRC UK-IGT Network+.
Planned Impact
The primary impact of this proposal is to create a network to fertilise and enhance collaboration across UK IGT and promote relationships with industry and stakeholders with the ability to clinically translate IGT to realise patient benefits.
The Network's objectives of bridging EPSRC UK-IGT research activities among disparate research institutions and cultivating cross-disciplinary research ideas for future collaborative proposal submission will be achieved through a hierarchy of planned activities. With focused levels of engagement, the beneficiaries of the planned activities range from the entire community, to the partnerships within the Network, and, finally, the promotion of talented researchers that seek to work across the established IGT research themes and centres.
There are an estimated 3,100 medical devices companies in the UK, 80% of which are SMEs, which employ around 64,000 employees, and have an estimated turnover of £15B. As well as established companies, a vibrant UK SME community is emerging in the area of image-guided therapy, and our Network can have a key role to play in expanding this activity.
The Network's objectives of bridging EPSRC UK-IGT research activities among disparate research institutions and cultivating cross-disciplinary research ideas for future collaborative proposal submission will be achieved through a hierarchy of planned activities. With focused levels of engagement, the beneficiaries of the planned activities range from the entire community, to the partnerships within the Network, and, finally, the promotion of talented researchers that seek to work across the established IGT research themes and centres.
There are an estimated 3,100 medical devices companies in the UK, 80% of which are SMEs, which employ around 64,000 employees, and have an estimated turnover of £15B. As well as established companies, a vibrant UK SME community is emerging in the area of image-guided therapy, and our Network can have a key role to play in expanding this activity.
Publications
Podoleanu A
(2022)
Optical coherence tomography for medical imaging and nondestructive testing
Marques MJ
(2021)
Sub-surface characterisation of latest-generation identification documents using optical coherence tomography.
in Science & justice : journal of the Forensic Science Society
Marques M.J.
(2021)
Non-destructive identification document inspection with swept-source optical coherence tomography imaging
in Optics InfoBase Conference Papers
Economidou S
(2021)
A novel 3D printed hollow microneedle microelectromechanical system for controlled, personalized transdermal drug delivery
in Additive Manufacturing
Description | The focus of the UK EPSRC Image-Guided Therapies (IGT) Network was to bring together IGT researchers throughout the UK and form a strongly linked community by providing a common platform to share knowledge and knowhow across four core research themes. Over the duration of the grant, the Network grew from around 100 to over 350 members. This included over 160 early career researchers and 43 industry scientists. To ignite, promote and support new far reaching collaborations the Network organised nine national conferences, two ECR conferences and a joint Network event with the EPSRC Therapy Ultrasound Network for Drug Delivery & Ablation Research (ThUNDDAR) Network. Events were hosted at various partner organisations, usually with over 100 attendees representing between 15-25 different research organisations within the UK. These in-person events stimulated many research conversations and led to the Network awarding c£350k to support novel academic collaborations across the UK. These collaborations also allowed PhD students and postdoctoral scientists to work in a different laboratory to their home institution providing an opportunity to learn new skills and build their own future research networks. |
First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
Sector | Healthcare |
Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
Description | Exploring the Commercial Potential for Improved Thermal Ablation Surgery Planning using Data-driven Modelling. |
Organisation | King's College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Provide funding through the Network to enable the project team to: Complete a business case analysis investigating thermal ablation applicator pathway planning for operations performed within the NHS. As an exemplar Trust, anonymised and aggregated patient outcome and surgery data will be collected at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. This proposed study would assess: 1. The creation of 3D models of the patients' anatomy from available volumetric Computed Tomography (CT) scans. These 3D models will include all relevant structures related to renal thermal ablation planning e.g. main abdominal arterial and venous vessels, kidney, tumour, bones etc. 2. The repurposing of King's College London's neurosurgery planning software (EpiNav) for use in abdominal applicator planning to producing safe applicator pathways ideally from a variety of surface-to-tumour angles to cater for clinician preference. 3. The validation by a team of interventional radiologists (IRs) of the feasibility of making adjustments to (i) the manual pathway used during the ablation procedure and (ii) the automated pathway using the standard-of-care 2D slices. 4. Based on estimated costs from stages 1-3 above, the commercial viability of such a product. |
Collaborator Contribution | 1. Safe and reliable patient-specific 3D models for this application could be created at an estimated cost of £400 per case. 2. EpiNav would require a refactor costing an estimated £25,000, but this would be a one-off cost. 3. Interventional radiologists agreed that the tool would be an improvement over the existing surgery planning methods. 4. The short-term cost savings to the average Trust is unlikely to make the procurement of such a product an attractive option. Unless costs can be reduced, this proposed product is not likely to be commercially viable. |
Impact | 1. Safe and reliable patient-specific 3D models for this application could be created at an estimated cost of £400 per case. 2. EpiNav would require a refactor costing an estimated £25,000, but this would be a one-off cost. 3. Interventional radiologists agreed that the tool would be an improvement over the existing surgery planning methods. 4. The short-term cost savings to the average Trust is unlikely to make the procurement of such a product an attractive option. Unless costs can be reduced, this proposed product is not likely to be commercially viable. |
Start Year | 2019 |