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

手术是大多数类型癌症的主要治疗选择，但手术后癌症经常复发。在英国，近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、较差的美容和功能结果、情绪困扰和经济成本。由于肿瘤切除不完全或手术切缘清除不充分，癌症经常需要再次手术。癌组织不能完全切除，因为在手术过程中，外科医生只能依靠肿瘤的视觉外观和触诊来区分恶性与良性组织。因此，我们迫切需要改进手术中检测癌组织的工具。Lightpoint Medical正在寻求评估开发术中分子成像相机和内窥镜的技术和商业可行性，以便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，从而降低术后复发的可能性。摄像头和内窥镜将采用一种名为Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging（CLI）的新型分子成像技术，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提供一种大大改进的工具，用于在手术期间检测恶性组织。如果该技术被认为在技术上和商业上对临床可行，该项目将提供CLI术中摄像机和CLI内窥镜的原型。原型将用于临床前测试、手术模拟器测试以及下一阶段产品开发的改进。

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.