Three-dimensional ultrasound image-guided robotic system for accurate microwave coagulation of malignant liver tumours

Background The further application of conventional ultrasound (US) image-guided microwave (MW) ablation of liver cancer is often limited by two-dimensional (2D) imaging, inaccurate needle placement and the resulting skill requirement. The three-dimensional (3D) image-guided robotic-assisted system provides an appealing alternative option, enabling the physician to perform consistent, accurate therapy with improved treatment effectiveness. Methods Our robotic system is constructed by integrating an imaging module, a needle-driven robot, a MW thermal field simulation module, and surgical navigation software in a practical and user-friendly manner. The robot executes precise needle placement based on the 3D model reconstructed from freehand-tracked 2D B-scans. A qualitative slice guidance method for fine registration is introduced to reduce the placement error caused by target motion. By incorporating the 3D MW specific absorption rate (SAR) model into the heat transfer equation, the MW thermal field simulation module determines the MW power level and the coagulation time for improved ablation therapy. Two types of wrists are developed for the robot: a ‘remote centre of motion’ (RCM) wrist and a non-RCM wrist, which is preferred in real applications. Results The needle placement accuracies were < 3 mm for both wrists in the mechanical phantom experiment. The target accuracy for the robot with the RCM wrist was improved to 1.6 ± 1.0 mm when real-time 2D US feedback was used in the artificial-tissue phantom experiment. By using the slice guidance method, the robot with the non-RCM wrist achieved accuracy of 1.8 ± 0.9 mm in the ex vivo experiment; even target motion was introduced. In the thermal field experiment, a 5.6% relative mean error was observed between the experimental coagulated neurosis volume and the simulation result. Conclusion The proposed robotic system holds promise to enhance the clinical performance of percutaneous MW ablation of malignant liver tumours. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78054/1/313_ftp.pd

Functional nanoparticles for magnetic resonance C-Surgery tools

Ο κεντρικός σκοπός αυτής της εργασίας είναι να παρέχει μια γενική επισκόπηση όσων αφορά την χρήση και εφαρμογή των λειτουργικών νανοσωματιδίων στην μαγνητική τομογραφία και της εικονικά καθοδηγούμενης χειρουργικής στον τομέα της ιατρικής. Τα νανοσωματιδιακά σκιαγραφικά μέσα προσφέρουν την δυνατότητα άριστης ανάλυσης και υψηλής ευαισθησίας μαγνητικής τομογραφίας μέσα από την ικανότητα τους να συσσωρεύονται στα παθολογικά σημεία καθώς και την ιδιότητα περεταίρω επεξεργασίας τους μέσω διαφόρων τεχνικών. Τα διάφορα είδη σκιαγραφικών ουσιών αναλύονται εκτενέστερα καθώς και οι πρόσφατες εξελίξεις στον συγκεκριμένο τομέα. Αυτή η διπλωματική αναλύει το συνεχώς αυξανόμενο ενδιαφέρον ως προς τα νανοσωματιδιακά ενεργοποιούμενα σκιαγραφικά μέσα τα οποία ενεργοποιούνται έπειτα από συγκεκριμένα ερεθίσματα και προσφέρουν υψηλή ευαισθησία και εξειδίκευση . Οι αρχές της συσσώρευσης των νανοϋλικών στα χειρουργικά σημεία αναλύονται και αποτελούν προοίμιο για τα οφέλη της νανοϊατρικής στην εικονικά καθοδηγούμενη χειρουργική . Ένας ρεαλιστικός τρόπος για να παρέχουμε άρτια διεγχειρητική εικόνα και ικανοποιητική διείσδυση ιστών είναι η πολυτροπική απεικόνιση βασισμένη σε μοριακές απεικονιστικές τεχνολογίες. Επιπροσθέτως τα λειτουργικά νανοσωματιδιακά μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν σε διαφόρου είδους χειρουργικές επεμβάσεις με στόχο την ολοκληρωτική εξαίρεση των παθολογικών εξεργασιών. Επιπλέον, ο σύγχρονος συνδυασμός της διάγνωσης και θεραπείας ταυτόχρονα και σε πρώτο χρόνο μέσω της χρήσης νανοσωματιδίων στον τομέα της χειρουργικής αναλύεται στα πλαίσια αυτής της διπλωματικής. Τελειώνοντας, αυτή η διπλωματική αναφέρει τις δυσκολίες και τις μελλοντικές προοπτικές όσον αφορά την ανάπτυξη , εξέλιξη και κλινική εφαρμογή των λειτουργικών νανοσωματιδίων στην μαγνητική τομογραφία και στην εικονικά καθοδηγούμενη χειρουργική .The central purpose of this thesis is to provide a general overview of functional nanoparticles for MRI and image-guided surgery and their applications in the medical field. Nanoparticle-based contrast agents offer promising new platforms to increase the resolution and sensitivity of MRI by their enhanced accumulation at disease sites and their large surface area for additional modification with targeting ligands etc. The different types of contrast agents were discussed concurrently with any recent developments. This thesis reviews the ever-evolving interest in nanoparticle-based activatable MRI contrast agents responsive to various stimuli which enhances specificity and sensitivity. The principles of nanomaterials to surgical targets are reviewed, unlocking the advantages of nano-technology in image-guided surgery and multimodal image-guided surgery and assisted synergistic therapy. A pragmatic method to achieve intraoperative visualization with deep tissue penetration and high resolution is multimodal-imaging based on molecular imaging technologies. Furthermore, functional nanomaterials synergize different surgical procedures to eliminate residual lesions. Additionally, theragnostic nanomaterials with surgical applications were discussed. Finally, this thesis mentions the challenges and future perspectives to develop and translate functional nanoparticles for MRI and nanomaterials for image-guided surgery into clinical practice

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) functionalized gold nanoparticles (GNPs) for plasmonic photothermal ablation of cancer. A review

The meeting and merging between innovative nanotechnological systems, such as nanoparticles, and the persistent need to outperform diagnostic-therapeutic approaches to fighting cancer are revolutionizing the medical research scenario, leading us into the world of nanomedicine. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a non-invasive thermo-ablative treatment in which cellular hyperthermia is generated through the interaction of near-infrared light with light-to-heat converter entities, such as gold nanoparticles (GNPs). GNPs have great potential to improve recovery time, cure complexity, and time spent on the treatment of specific types of cancer. The development of gold nanostructures for photothermal efficacy and target selectivity ensures effective and deep tissue-penetrating PTT with fewer worries about adverse effects from nonspecific distributions. Regardless of the thriving research recorded in the last decade regarding the multiple biomedical applications of nanoparticles and, in particular, their conjugation with drugs, few works have been completed regarding the possibility of combining GNPs with the cancer-targeted pharmaceutical fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). This review aims to provide an actual scenario on the application of functionalized GNP-mediated PTT for cancer ablation purposes, regarding the opportunity given by the 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) functionalization

Multimodal Contrast Agents for Optoacoustic Brain Imaging in Small Animals

Optoacoustic (photoacoustic) imaging has demonstrated versatile applications in biomedical research, visualizing the disease pathophysiology and monitoring the treatment effect in an animal model, as well as toward applications in the clinical setting. Given the complex disease mechanism, multimodal imaging provides important etiological insights with different molecular, structural, and functional readouts in vivo. Various multimodal optoacoustic molecular imaging approaches have been applied in preclinical brain imaging studies, including optoacoustic/fluorescence imaging, optoacoustic imaging/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), optoacoustic imaging/MRI/Raman, optoacoustic imaging/positron emission tomography, and optoacoustic/computed tomography. There is a rapid development in molecular imaging contrast agents employing a multimodal imaging strategy for pathological targets involved in brain diseases. Many chemical dyes for optoacoustic imaging have fluorescence properties and have been applied in hybrid optoacoustic/fluorescence imaging. Nanoparticles are widely used as hybrid contrast agents for their capability to incorporate different imaging components, tunable spectrum, and photostability. In this review, we summarize contrast agents including chemical dyes and nanoparticles applied in multimodal optoacoustic brain imaging integrated with other modalities in small animals, and provide outlook for further research

Radiomics and artificial intelligence in prostate cancer: new tools for molecular hybrid imaging and theragnostics

In prostate cancer (PCa), the use of new radiopharmaceuticals has improved the accuracy of diagnosis and staging, refined surveillance strategies, and introduced specific and personalized radioreceptor therapies. Nuclear medicine, therefore, holds great promise for improving the quality of life of PCa patients, through managing and processing a vast amount of molecular imaging data and beyond, using a multi-omics approach and improving patients' risk-stratification for tailored medicine. Artificial intelligence (AI) and radiomics may allow clinicians to improve the overall efficiency and accuracy of using these "big data" in both the diagnostic and theragnostic field: from technical aspects (such as semi-automatization of tumor segmentation, image reconstruction, and interpretation) to clinical outcomes, improving a deeper understanding of the molecular environment of PCa, refining personalized treatment strategies, and increasing the ability to predict the outcome. This systematic review aims to describe the current literature on AI and radiomics applied to molecular imaging of prostate cancer

Advances in non-invasive biosensing measures to monitor wound healing progression

Impaired wound healing is a significant financial and medical burden. The synthesis and deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) in a new wound is a dynamic process that is constantly changing and adapting to the biochemical and biomechanical signaling from the extracellular microenvironments of the wound. This drives either a regenerative or fibrotic and scar-forming healing outcome. Disruptions in ECM deposition, structure, and composition lead to impaired healing in diseased states, such as in diabetes. Valid measures of the principal determinants of successful ECM deposition and wound healing include lack of bacterial contamination, good tissue perfusion, and reduced mechanical injury and strain. These measures are used by wound-care providers to intervene upon the healing wound to steer healing toward a more functional phenotype with improved structural integrity and healing outcomes and to prevent adverse wound developments. In this review, we discuss bioengineering advances in 1) non-invasive detection of biologic and physiologic factors of the healing wound, 2) visualizing and modeling the ECM, and 3) computational tools that efficiently evaluate the complex data acquired from the wounds based on basic science, preclinical, translational and clinical studies, that would allow us to prognosticate healing outcomes and intervene effectively. We focus on bioelectronics and biologic interfaces of the sensors and actuators for real time biosensing and actuation of the tissues. We also discuss high-resolution, advanced imaging techniques, which go beyond traditional confocal and fluorescence microscopy to visualize microscopic details of the composition of the wound matrix, linearity of collagen, and live tracking of components within the wound microenvironment. Computational modeling of the wound matrix, including partial differential equation datasets as well as machine learning models that can serve as powerful tools for physicians to guide their decision-making process are discussed

Cancer nanopharmaceuticals: physicochemical characterization and in vitro/in vivo applications

Physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, and biopharmaceutical characterization tools play a key role in the assessment of nanopharmaceuticals potential imaging analysis and for site-specific delivery of anti-cancers to neoplastic cells/tissues. If diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches are combined in one single nanoparticle, a new platform called nanotheragnostics is generated. Several analytical technologies allow us to characterize nanopharmaceuticals and nanoparticles and their properties so that they can be properly used in cancer therapy. This paper describes the role of multifunctional nanoparticles in cancer diagnosis and treatment, describing how nanotheragnostics can be useful in modern chemotherapy, and finally, the challenges associated with the commercialization of nanoparticles for cancer therapy.This research was funded by The National Centre for Research and Development (Grant Number INNOMED/I/11/NCBR/2014) from the Innovative Economy Operational Programme founds, in the framework of the European Regional Development Fund, by the Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences by the internal grant for the implementation of a single scientific activity, and by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT/MCT), European Funds (PRODER/COMPETE)-project UIDB/04469/2020 (strategic fund), co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio