Project description
Smart brain biopsies with self-propelled microrobot for in vivo 3D navigation
Each year, approximately 350 000 people are diagnosed with primary brain tumours while another million are afflicted by brain metastases. Accurate diagnosis is crucial to develop treatment strategies and often includes biopsies when imaging techniques are insufficient. Traditional neurosurgical instruments for brain biopsies usually follow direct paths according to the craniotomy incision, and thus may limit access to critical tumour sites. To address this, the EIC-funded SmartMicroBiopsy project is pioneering an active, self-propelled microrobot designed to perform delicate 3D movements for in vivo intracerebral navigation. The project aims to carry out first-in-human clinical trials targeting challenging cases of adult brain tumours, allowing to gather key data for treatment decisions.
Objective
Over 1B people worldwide suffer from brain diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, cancers, and functional conditions like epilepsy and depression, incurring an annual treatment cost of €1.7T. Specifically in Europe, the cost reached €800B in 2010, increasing each year. Annually, 350k people are diagnosed with primary brain tumours, resulting in 250k deaths. Additionally, brain metastases affect over 1M individuals yearly.
Addressing this socio-economic challenge requires precise medical interventions. Current tools in neurosurgery, such as catheters, needles, and electrodes, are limited to straight paths dictated by the initial skull opening, restricting access to critical tumour sites and thus limiting treatment options.
Robeaute's microrobotics is transforming robotic surgery by enhancing surgical precision and introducing micro and nano techniques for targeting cells directly, facilitating improved diagnostics and treatments. These microrobots perform intricate 3D movements, allowing unprecedented access to critical areas affected by brain diseases. Unlike traditional passive microrobots, which rely on large coils and cannot perform biopsies, Robeaute is pioneering an active, self-propelled microrobot designed for in vivo intracerebral 3D navigation, leading to 54 patent filings.
WIth EIC support, Robeaute aims to conduct First in Human and pivotal clinical trials targeting the brain biopsy market, focusing initially on challenging areas such as paediatric brainstem tumours, recurrent tumours requiring multiple biopsies, primary tumours for comprehensive profiling, and metastases unresponsive to traditional treatments. These specific niches represent a potential market of €0.3B in the US and Europe. The broader biopsy market, valued at €3.67B is expanding with the rise of personalised therapies for brain tumours, necessitating increased biopsy procedures to aid in treatment selection and the development of personalised treatments like cancer vaccines.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-EIC-ACC - HORIZON EIC Accelerator
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2024-ACCELERATOR-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75014 Paris
France
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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