WORMS: When micro-robots encounter metastatic cancer in the adjacent capillaries

蠕虫旨在开发一种新的数学工具，用于分析基于柔性多体系统和流体力学的微型机器人的传感能力，以帮助检测原发性肠癌部位邻近毛细血管中难以可视化的癌症转移。从长远来看，这项工作将开创转移性癌症诊断的新模式，为早期癌症患者提供高效，微创的手术。该奖学金的独特研究方法是数值和实验研究的共同努力，将由埃克塞特大学的Yang Liu教授主持，借调主管是INSA中心瓦尔德卢瓦尔的Antoine Ferreira教授，以及来自皇家德文郡大学医疗保健NHS基金会信托的咨询胃肠病学家Shyam Prasad博士。拟议的工作和培训将在多个层面上对研究员未来的职业生涯产生重大影响，东道主可能会受益于研究员在柔性多体系统和接触力学方面的专业知识。此外，该研究员将在主办大学和借调大学之间转让知识和建立网络，这将促进长期的研究伙伴关系，使欧洲在开发医疗微型机器人的尖端技术方面处于领先地位。

WORMS seeks to develop a new mathematical tool for analysing the sensing capability of micro-robots based on the flexible multibody system and fluid mechanics, to aid the detection of hard-to-visualise cancer metastasis in the adjacent capillaries of the primary bowel cancer site. In the long term, this work will initiate a new modality for metastatic cancer diagnosis, delivering an efficient, minimally invasive procedure for early cancer patients. The unique research approach of this fellowship, a joint effort of numerical and experimental studies, will be hosted by Prof. Yang Liu from the University of Exeter with the secondment supervisor, Prof. Antoine Ferreira from INSA Centre Val de Loire, and the consulting gastroenterologist, Dr Shyam Prasad, from the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The proposed work and training will have a significant impact on the fellow's future career at multiple levels, and the host may benefit from the fellow's expertise on flexible multibody systems and contact mechanics. Furthermore, the fellow will transfer knowledge and develop networking between the hosting and the secondment universities, which will foster a long-term research partnership placing Europe at the leading edge in developing the cutting-edge techniques of medical micro-robots.