Project description
A robotic microcatheter system
Advances in minimally invasive surgical procedures such as endovascular catheterisation have reduced surgery-related complications and hospitalisation time. However, there are still miniaturisation limitations in the approach associated with the use of existing catheters. To address this problem, the EU-funded MagFlow project will introduce novel ultra-lightweight and ultra-flexible microscopic probes that are three orders of magnitude smaller than available microcatheters. The project will take advantage of the viscous flow inside blood vessels to effortlessly transport these microengineered devices through the vascular network and reach deep tissues. This microrobotic kit will improve the speed and outcome of endovascular catheterisation, drastically reducing the risk of complications. At the same time, it will open the possibility for more surgeries to shift to robot-assisted non-invasive interventions.
Objective
Minimally invasive medical procedures, such as endovascular catheterization, have drastically reduced procedure-associated risks for patients and costs for hospitals. However, practitioners still cannot quickly and safely reach deep body tissues due to the miniaturization issues associated with the existing manufacturing paradigm and the tedious process of navigating commercially available catheters. MagFlow introduces an innovative approach towards minimally invasive surgery that realizes the delivery of ultra-lightweight and ultra-flexible microscopic probes by taking full advantage of the existing viscous flow inside blood vessels. With this technique, the microengineered devices are transported through vascular networks with arbitrary complexity almost effortlessly. We developed an endovascular microrobotic toolkit with cross-sectional area that is approximately three orders of magnitude smaller than the smallest microcatheter currently available for chemical, mechanical, and electrical interrogation. Our technology will improve the state-of-the-art practices as it enhances the reachability, reduces the risk of iatrogenic damage, drastically increases the speed of robot-assisted interventions, and enables the deployment of multiple leads simultaneously through a standard needle injection. As a result, several invasive surgeries can shift to endovascular interventions, knowledge on neuronal electrophysiology can grow significantly, and a novel type of brain-machine interface can be established. The goal of the MagFlow project is to both explore the commercial viability of our unique technology and take the first steps towards the clinical trial phase by adapting the platform for in vivo experimentation.
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Funding Scheme
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept GrantHost institution
1015 Lausanne
Switzerland