I-Corps: System of Multimodal Imaging and Point-of-Care Biopsies

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于，它可能会影响全世界数百万接受子宫内膜癌检测的妇女的生活。在美国，阴道异常出血的女性（无论年龄、体型、种族、经济状况、历史或种族）都被认为患有子宫内膜癌，直到有证据证明并非如此。不幸的是，与使用巴氏试验检测子宫颈癌不同，目前没有筛查子宫内膜癌的试验或检查。简单准确的筛查和活检工具对于子宫内膜癌的早期检测非常重要，因为：1)临床需要首先排除癌症；2)早期检测提高生存率；3)当前诊断措施带来的高疼痛、高成本和高时间。该团队的方法可能使女性获得非侵入性、准确的子宫内膜癌诊断。准确、实时和早期诊断子宫内膜癌将受益，估计每19名妇女中就有1名受益。这个I-Corps项目的重点是翻译一种小型工具的第一步，用于在护理点识别健康与恶性组织。尽管迫切需要，但目前尚无方法用于子宫内膜癌的实时临床诊断。目前的方法需要一系列不确定的、侵入性的、耗时的测试，因此不能满足用户的需求。为了填补这一空白，该项目旨在开发一种在首次就诊时筛查子宫内膜癌的产品。整合了两种成像方式，包括光声成像（已知可提供清晰的脉管系统图）和超声，用于深层组织穿透，识别组织密度。这种组合将使检测组织成为可能，否则如果不使用昂贵的侵入性对比剂，就无法检测到组织。这种新的设备操作方法将允许对器官进行完整的3D成像，并结合组织样本收集。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is that it may potentially impact the lives of millions of women worldwide who are tested for the presence of endometrial cancer. In the US, women who with abnormal vaginal bleeding (regardless of age, shape, race, economic standing, history or ethnicity) are considered to have endometrial cancer, until proven otherwise. Unfortunately, unlike the use of pap tests for the detection of cervical cancer, no tests or exams currently exist for screening endometrial cancer. Simple and accurate screening and biopsy tools are important for the early detection of endometrial cancer because of: i) clinical requirements to rule out cancer first and foremost, ii) improved survival rates with early detection, and iii) high pain, cost, and time associated with current diagnostic measures. This team's process may enable women to get access to non-invasive, accurate diagnoses of endometrial cancer not otherwise available. Accurate, real time and early diagnosis of endometrial cancer will benefit and estimated one out of nineteen women.This I-Corps project focuses on the first steps in translating a miniaturized tool for discerning healthy vs. malignant tissue at the point of care. Despite the critical need, no method currently exists for the real time, clinical diagnosis of endometrial cancer. Current methods require a succession of inconclusive, invasive, and time-consuming tests, thus failing to meet the needs of the user. To fill this gap, this projects aims to develop a product for screening endometrial cancer during the first visit to a clinic. Two imaging modalities are integrated, including photoacoustic imaging (known to provide a clear map of vasculature, and ultrasound) for deep tissue penetration, identifying tissue density. This combination will enable the detection of tissue not otherwise able to be reached without expensive and invasive procedures requiring contrast agents. This new method of device manipulation will allow for complete 3D imaging of an organ, in conjunction with tissue sample collection.