Proof-of-Concept for an Intra-Operative Molecular Imaging Camera and Endoscope

手术是大多数癌症的主要治疗选择，但癌症经常在手术后复发。在英国，几乎四分之一的乳腺癌患者在手术后需要再次手术。其后果包括延迟辅助治疗，增加远处复发的可能性，较差的外观和功能结果，情绪困扰和经济成本。由于肿瘤切除不完全或手术边缘清除不充分，癌症经常需要再次手术。癌组织不能完全切除，因为在手术中，外科医生只能依靠肿瘤的视觉外观和触诊来区分恶性组织和良性组织。因此，有巨大的需要改进的工具，以检测癌变组织在手术中。Lightpoint Medical正在寻求开发一种术中分子成像相机和内窥镜的技术和商业可行性，以在手术中实时诊断癌症。图像引导手术将使外科医生能够更准确地切除肿瘤，从而减少术后复发的可能性。摄像机和内窥镜将采用一种称为切伦科夫发光成像（CLI）的新型分子成像技术，该技术可以对放射性药物进行光学成像。CLI的分子敏感性有可能为外科医生在手术中检测恶性组织提供一个大大改进的工具。如果该技术被认为在技术和商业上对诊所是可行的，该项目将提供CLI术中相机和CLI内窥镜的原型。这些原型将用于临床前测试，在手术模拟器中进行测试，并对产品开发的下一阶段进行改进。

Surgery is the primary treatment option for most types of cancer, yet cancer frequently recurs after surgery. In the UK, almost 1 in 4 breast cancer patients will require re-operation after surgery. The consequences include delayed adjuvant treatment, increased likelihood of distant recurrence, poorer cosmetic and functional outcomes, emotional distress, and financial cost. Cancer frequently requires re-operation due to incomplete excision of the tumor or inadequate clearance of surgical margins. Cancerous tissue fails to be completely excised because, during surgery, the surgeon can only rely on the visual appearance of the tumor and palpation to differentiate malignant versus benign tissue. Consequently, there is a tremendous need for improved tools to detect cancerous tissue during surgery.Lightpoint Medical is seeking to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of developing an intra-operative molecular imaging camera and endoscope to diagnose cancer in real-time during surgery. Image-guided surgery will enable the surgeon to more accurately remove tumors, thereby reducing the likelihood of post-surgical recurrence. The camera and endoscope will employ a novel molecular imaging technology called Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging (CLI) that enables optical imaging of radiopharmaceuticals. The molecular sensitivity of CLI has the potential to provide the surgeon with a vastly improved tool for detecting malignant tissue during surgery. If the technology is deemed technically and commercially feasible for the clinic, this project will deliver prototypes of a CLI intra-operative camera and a CLI endoscope. The prototypes will be used for pre-clinical testing, testing in a surgical simulator, and improvements to the next phase of product development.