Project description
Automation of the process of prostate biopsy
Prostate biopsy is carried out on more than a million patients in Europe every year, with the rate of diagnostic errors at more than 30 %. Most errors are due to human-introduced inaccuracies in identifying the correct biopsy target, and this results in repeated biopsies or unnecessary surgeries. The EU-funded PROST project will develop a basis for the introduction of an autonomous process of prostate biopsy that removes human error from the procedure. The first goal of PROST will be technical validation of the autonomous prostate biopsy system, followed by extensive tests on cadavers with the purpose to determine the clinical rationale of using an autonomous robot for prostate biopsy. Finally, the project will develop and validate a business plan for commercial exploitation of the robotic prototype.
Objective
The PROST PoC proposal aims at demonstrating the technical, clinical and economical feasibility of autonomous prostate biopsy execution, by applying the technologies developed by the ERC project ARS (Autonomous Robotic Surgery) to a robotic prostate biopsy system. Prostate biopsy is a good candidate for the application of automation in clinical practice since it is a rather simple procedure, carried out on more than 1 Mil/year patients in Europe, and still affected by a diagnostic error higher than 30%. This means that about 300,000 patients in Europe alone, are directed to therapies that will require repeated biopsies or will make the patient undergo unnecessary surgeries. Errors are mostly due to human inaccuracy in identifying the correct biopsy target and in executing the free-hand biopsy. The PROST project aims at removing the human from the identification/execution process, thus reducing the diagnosis and execution errors. The project is made feasible by two enabling factors: the on going ERC project ARS that is developing sensing and control architecture for autonomous surgical robots, and the availability of a prototype of robot for prostate biopsy developed with a grant by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The PROST project will integrate the sensing and control architecture with the biopsy hardware and avoid lengthy hardware and software development. Thus, the first objective of the proposal is the technical validation of the autonomous prostate biopsy system. Then, extensive cadaveric tests will determine the clinical rationale to use an autonomous robot for prostate biopsy. Finally, the third objective of PROST is to develop and validate a business case for the commercial exploitation of the PROST prototype, addressing low cost/high volume cases. The positive results of these validations will be a strong motivation for the development of a start up company that will industrialize and medically certify the system.
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.
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.
- social sciences sociology industrial relations automation
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software software development
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics autonomous robots
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine surgery robotic surgery
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
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.
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.
ERC-POC-LS - ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum Pilot
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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) ERC-2019-PoC
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
37129 Verona
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.