Project description DEENESFRITPL Micro-robots to spot bowel cancer An endoscopy is one of the first steps to detection of colon cancer. Current screening methods rely on visual tests that look inside the colon and rectum. However, these methods are less reliable in spotting small-sized lesions, which should be removed early before they become cancerous. Micro-robots may be able to help. In this context, the EU-funded OMEGA project will develop a new mathematical tool to analyse the sensing capacity of micro-robots in supporting hard-to-visualise bowel lesion detection. The project will develop pioneering numerical techniques and use, for the first time, robots’ multistability to analyse such robot–lesion association and generate a sequence of computational analysis and advanced control methods for cancer detection and staging. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Detection of bowel cancer is currently performed by visual inspection of the colonic mucosa during endoscopy, which is less reliable for small-sized lesions that are not easily visualised. If they are not detected and removed at an early stage, there is a chance that they may become cancerous. This project seeks to develop a new mathematical tool for analysing the sensing capability of micro-robots to aid the detection of hard-to-visualise bowel lesions. Micro-robots experiencing vibrations, frictions, and impacts, known as non-smooth dynamical systems, exhibit a rich variety of different long-term behaviours co-existing for a given set of parameters, which is referred to as multi-stability or co-existing attractors. When the robot moves in the colon and encounters a lesion, some particular attractor may dominate its dynamics, while the other co-existing attractors could fade away due to the tissue’s mechanical properties associated with different stages of malignant transformation. This significant change in multi-stability can be utilised to distinguish between healthy and abnormal tissues. The fellow proposes to use for the first time robot’s multi-stability through the development of state-of-the-art numerical techniques to analyse such robot-lesion correlation, and produce a suite of computational analysis and advanced control methods for cancer detection and staging. In the long term, this work will initiate a new modality for bowel cancer screening, delivering an efficient minimally invasive procedure for patients. The unique research approach of this fellowship, a joint effort of numerical and experimental studies, will be hosted by Dr Yang Liu from the University of Exeter with the secondment supervisor, Prof. Bradley Nelson from ETH Zurich, and the consulting gastroenterologist, Dr Shyam Prasad, from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. Fields of science natural sciencesmathematicsapplied mathematicsdynamical systemsmedical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologycolorectal cancer Keywords Piecewise-linear dynamical systems non-smooth dynamical systems DDEs micro-robot multistability bowel cancer early detection Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2020 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2020 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER Net EU contribution € 212 933,76 Address THE QUEEN'S DRIVE NORTHCOTE HOUSE EX4 4QJ Exeter United Kingdom See on map Region South West (England) Devon Devon CC Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 212 933,76
