A portable tool positioning system for the mechanical testing of in vivo tissues

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This RTI proposal aims to create a paradigm shift in the mechanical characterization of biological tissues with a novel custom high-precision in vivo tissue testing (HITT) system that can be deployed to the bedside to test live biological tissues. The Tissue Characterization Facility at the Simon Fraser University supports several research programs with material test equipment capacity from single cells to whole bones. However, a critical missing link in biological tissue testing is the ability to accurately test live tissues in the body. The proposed HITT system integrates high-precision positioning stages with automated tool tracking to move an impactor system where the user indicates in three dimensional space. The system wheels to the bedside and will suspend a precision mechanical actuator over the test subject to characterize tissue responses to loading. A deployable system that can go into the operating room makes accurate mechanical characterization of many tissues possible for the first time. Being able to test live tissues in the body instead of testing isolated material samples will provide important new insights into the effects of the underlying supporting structures, connecting tissues, and body fluids on tissue behaviour. These effects are lost when samples are harvested for testing. The portable system can be deployed across campus to co-investigators’ labs as well as to local, regional, and national collaborator facilities, clinics, and animal care centres to access live tissues as they become available to maximize use of the system. The proposed equipment is critical for the advancement of Dr. Carolyn Sparrey’s research program quantifying spinal cord injury mechanics and mapping patient specific responses to injury. The equipment will be fully utilized and will also support co-applicants’ research programs quantifying the energy absorbed by soft tissues in falls (Dr. Robinovitch), the development of upper limb exoskeletons and robotic orthoses (Dr. Menon), and the effects of cancer on tissue mechanics (Dr. Park). This deployable HITT system will improve access and expand our capacity to train students in experimental research. Accurate characterization of living tissues in the body lays the foundation for understanding injury mechanics, developing injury prevention equipment, and designing technology solutions that integrate with the human body. There is no comparable test equipment available in Canada.