I-Corps: Radiofrequency Ablation using Wirelessly Powered Catheter and Generator

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力集中在使用无线射频的癌症治疗上。放射性消融是一种微创手术，外科医生使用电力燃烧体内组织。消融治疗已应用于多个医学学科，包括肿瘤学、心脏病学、皮肤病学、疼痛管理等。根据美国国家癌症研究所的数据，2017年有超过160万例新的癌症病例，大约60万名癌症患者死亡。这些癌症患者中的许多人可以用消融治疗来治疗。大量资金投入癌症护理，仅2010年就花费了1250亿美元;这一数字估计将在2020年达到1560亿美元。其他疾病也有类似数量的受影响患者和高额护理支出。该I-Corps项目将为团队提供机会，探索其无线射频消融技术商业化的各种途径，该技术在许多治疗领域具有广泛的应用。该I-Corps项目是第一个旨在简化和简化当前消融手术的无线射频消融设备。使用磁共振原理，无线供电的射频消融设备简单地包括消融发生器和针。消融发生器用作发射电路，其将功率无线发送到针的接收线圈。接收线圈连接到针尖处的电极，以消融接触的肿瘤组织。现有的消融方法具有拴系到消融设备的多根线，这限制了外科医生在手术期间定位消融针的灵活性。导丝的重量和拖曳可能会增加患者准备时间并导致潜在的组织撕裂。此外，可以同时使用有限数量的消融针，使得消融大肿瘤耗时。该项目的无线消融技术不需要电线，并允许在手术过程中使用无限数量的消融针。一个初步的原型已经开发出来，以证明无线消融的概念和测试已经执行，以证明拟议的技术的概念。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project centers around cancer treatment using wireless radiofrequency. Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive procedure where surgeons burn tissue inside the body using electricity. Ablation treatment has been applied in several medical disciplines including oncology, cardiology, dermatology, pain management, etc.According to the National Cancer Institute, there were more than 1.6 million new cases of cancer in 2017 and approximately 600,000 cancer patients died. Many of these cancer patients can be treated with ablation therapy. A significant amount of funding is invested in cancer care, with $125 billion spent in 2010 alone; this number is estimated to reach $156 billion in 2020. Other diseases have similar numbers of affected patents and high amounts of care expenditures as well. This I-Corps program will provide opportunities for the team to explore various avenues for the commercialization of their wireless radiofrequency ablation technology that has broad application in many treatment areas.This I-Corps project is the first wireless radiofrequency ablation device designed to streamline and simplify the current ablation procedure. Using the principle of magnetic resonance, a wirelessly powered radiofrequency ablation device simply includes an ablation generator and a needle. The ablation generator serves as a transmitting circuit that wirelessly sends power to the needle's receiving coil. The receiving coil is connected to the electrodes at the needle tip that ablates tumor tissue in contact. Existing ablation methods have multiple wires tethered to the ablation equipment that limit the surgeon's dexterity to position the ablation needles during the procedure. The weight and dragging of the wires could increase patient setup time and cause potential tissue laceration. Also, a limited number of ablation needles can be used simultaneously, making it time consuming to ablate large tumors. This project's wireless ablation technology requires no wires and allows an unlimited number of ablation needles during the procedure. An initial prototype has been developed to prove the concept of wireless ablation and tests have been performed to prove the concept of the proposed technology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.