SImulation-assisted Minimally invasive CAncer tREatment using the gosmart environment

Project Information

SIMCARE

Grant agreement ID: 868414

DOI

10.3030/868414

Project closed

EC signature date 6 May 2019

Start date 1 June 2019

End date 30 November 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

NUMA ENGINEERING SERVICES LIMITED
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SIMCARE (SImulation-assisted Minimally invasive CAncer tREatment using the gosmart environment)

Reporting period: 2019-06-01 to 2019-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

GoSmart is a cloud-based software simulation environment for the training and planning of image-guided minimally invasive cancer treatments. The web framework allows Interventional Radiologists (IR) to upload patient datasets from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerised tomography (CT) scan images of the liver, lungs and kidney. The IR can then segment the datasets within a user-friendly software environment and setup simulations for different ablation protocols before performing the actual procedure. The workflow is clear and simple and can be automated for ease-of-use using the following steps: upload patient datasets, segment the organ, vessels and tumour, place the virtual needle and set the medical device parameters, simulate the ablation protocol and overlay the predicted volume on the CT images. The same web-framework can be used by clinicians, researchers and medical device manufacturers to work together in a unified environment with standardised numerical models.
The objective of the feasibility study was to understand the technical and commercial requirements to bring GoSmart to market within the next 3 years.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The technical feasibility included upgrades to the website interface, hardware acceleration of the radiofrequency and microwave solvers and hosting of the software on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. We accomplished all our technical objectives and were able to demonstrate the feasibility of hosting GoSmart on the cloud commercially together with a strategy to scale-up the hosting for multiple users.
The commercial feasibility included an assessment of the regulatory environment for hosting patient data on the cloud and marketing GoSmart for clinical use through CE marking in Europe and FDA approval in the US. We also exhibited at a radiology medical conference and presented the software to a range of potential customers.
The SIMCARE project has increased our exposure to the medical community and has provided us with the technical and commercial information needed to plan the commercialisation of GoSmart as both a training and clinical tool over the next 1-3 years.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

GoSmart is a novel medical software environment that can allow clinicians, researchers and medical device manufacturers to work together in a unified environment with standardised numerical models. It has the potential to be extended into augmented reality surgery and artificial intelligence-assisted surgery.

GoSmart Validation & Overlay on CT Data