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治疗癌症上。射频消融术是一种微创手术，外科医生使用电力烧毁体内组织。消融治疗已经应用于多个医学学科，包括肿瘤学、心脏病学、皮肤科、疼痛管理等。根据美国国家癌症研究所的数据，2017年新增癌症病例超过160万例，约60万癌症患者死亡。这些癌症患者中有许多可以通过消融治疗来治疗。大量资金投资于癌症护理，仅2010年就花费了1250亿美元；预计2020年这一数字将达到1560亿美元。其他疾病也有类似数量的受影响专利和高额护理支出。这项i-Corps计划将为团队探索将其在许多治疗领域广泛应用的无线射频消融技术商业化的各种途径提供机会。这项i-Corps项目是第一个旨在简化和简化当前消融程序的无线射频消融设备。利用磁共振原理，无线射频消融设备只包括一个消融发生器和一个针头。消融发生器起到了发射电路的作用，它将电能无线地发送到针的接收线圈。接收线圈连接到针尖的电极，以消融接触的肿瘤组织。现有的消融方法将多根电线系在消融设备上，限制了外科医生在手术过程中定位消融针的灵活性。电线的重量和拖拽可能会增加患者的设置时间，并可能导致组织撕裂。此外，有限数量的消融针可以同时使用，这使得消融大型肿瘤非常耗时。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。已经开发了一个初步的原型来证明无线消融的概念，并进行了测试来证明拟议的技术的概念。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.