Interdisciplinary Research Stimulating Health Technology

Innovation in IMSaT

Dr Mike MacDonaldIMSaT and Physics

University of Dundee

23 April 2010

Background

IMSaT• Institute for Medical

Science and Technology (IMSaT) launched in January 2008 by University ofDundee to promote joint activity between medicine, life sciences andthe physicalsciences andengineering

IMSaTMed

icine

Life Sciences

Science and Engineering

IMSaT• Institute for Medical

Science and Technology (IMSaT) launched in January 2008 by University ofDundee to promote joint activity between medicine, life sciences andthe physicalsciences andengineering

IMSaTMed

icine

Life Sciences

Science and Engineering

Realisation• More than £6M

investment• More than £17M awards

since launch• Now ~50 staff and

students• Facilities almost

completed

IMSaT

Ninewells Hospital

Facilities

• Cell biology and nanomedicine

• Interventional MRI• Surgical Technology• Photonics• Ultrasonics

Local Laboratories

IMSaT Infrastructure

• Cell biology and nanomedicine

• Interventional MRI• Surgical Technology• Photonics• Ultrasonics

Local Laboratories

IMSaT Infrastructure

• Cell biology and nanomedicine

• Interventional MRI• Surgical Technology• Photonics• Ultrasonics

Local Laboratories

IMSaT Infrastructure

Staff and Collaborators

IMSaT Research Leaders• Prof. Andreas Melzer, Director, specialism in

MRI-guided intervention and surgery• Prof. Sir Alfred Cuschieri, Chief Scientific

Advisor, specialism in minimal access surgery

• Dr Sandy Cochran, Team Leader in medical ultrasound

• Dr Stuart Brown, Team Leader in surgical technology

• Dr Mike MacDonald, Team Leader in biophotonics

• Dr Paul Prentice, Team Leader in photoacoustics

• Dr Lijun Wang, Team Leader in cell biology and nanomedicine

• Andreas Melzer – pre-clinical• Alfred Cuschieri – clinician/scientist• Sandy Cochran – engineer / physicist• Stuart Brown – mechanical engineer• Mike MacDonald – applied physicist• Paul Prentice – applied physicist• Lijun Wang – life scientist

• TBC – clinician• TBC – life scientist

Research Leader Backgrounds

Some Local Collaborators

• Prof. Alistair Thomson, Surgery and

Molecular Oncology, Ninewells Hospital• Dr George Corner, Medical

Physics/Ultrasound, Ninewells Hospital• Dr Elaine Henry, Gastroenterology,

Ninewells Hospital• Dr Graeme Houston, Oncology, Ninewells

Hospital• Dr Zhihong Huang, Ultrasound, Dundee

University• Dr Rob Keatch, Tissue Engineering, Dundee

Univ.• Dr Graeme MacLeod, Anaesthesia, Ninewells

Hospital

Some External Collaborators• University of Birmingham, Materials• University of Bristol, Mechanical

Engineering• Fraunhofer IKTS, Materials• University of Glasgow, Electronic

Engineering• Institute for Cancer Research, Medical

Physics• Insightec (Israel), Focused ultrasound

surgery• Penn State University, Materials• University of Southampton, Engineering• Trondheim University, Surgical technology• Weidlinger Associates (USA), Design

software

Some Previous/Present Collaboration

Strategy and Delivery

Strategic Dimensions• Key Target Area Image-guided intervention• Applications Oncology, Cardiovascular, and

Other (e.g. Anaesthesia, Surgical techniques)• Technology MRI, ultrasound, and

biophotonic imaging, with state-of-the-art intervention, including surgical technology and devices

• Collaboration Strong bias towards scientific, engineering and clinical collaboration

• Clinical application Strong bias towards clinical application of research outcomes

IMSaT’s strategic plan includes a project pipelinefor commercialisation of research

Commercialisation

Large Projects• Nanoporation (£1.8M) – Targeted drug delivery• Sonotweezers (£1.5M) – Particle / cell

manipulation• Lightsheet microscopy (£0.7M) – embryo

imaging• Biomag (£1.4M) – Surgical manipulation of

magnetised tissue• Laparoscopy (£2.5M) – New tools for keyhole

surgery• IIIOS (£3.7M) – Interventional imaging operating

system• DPFS (£0.6M) - Device / model development

Sample of Other Projects• Ultrasonic virtual histology (3 x grad student)• Devices for ultrasonic cutting (3 x grad student)• Integration of Si and piezoelectrics (1 x postdoc)• Ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia

(2 x grad student, 1 x undergrad)• Laser generated ultrasound (1 x grad student)• Photoacoustic imaging (1 x grad student)• Optical anastamotic perfusion assessment (1 x

ungrad)• MRgFUS (4 x grad student)• Tissue motion tracking (2 x grad student)• Microbubble processing (1 x grad student)• Nerve regeneration with magnetic nanoparticles

(1 x postdoc)• Organ retraction in surgery (1 x postdoc)• Ultrasound phantoms (1 x postdoc)

Case Study:MRgFUS

MRgFUS: MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery• Risks of surgical therapy outweigh

potential benefits for many patients• E.g. frail, elderly patients and patients with benign tumours

• Non-invasive focused ultrasound surgery is a possibility• Image guidance is crucial

Simple Ultrasonic Hyperthermia

Custom transducer for high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)

Hyperthermia applied to poultry breast in vitro, max. intensity 240 W cm-2

Illustrative Results

Visual

Histology

HFUS

SEM

Illustrative Results

Visual

Histology

HFUS

SEM

Necrosed tissue

Viable tissue

Image Guidance• MRI presently the

leading image guidance technique• MRgFUS - MRI-

guided focused ultrasound surgery

• Ultrasound guidance also possible

MRgFUS

Thiel cadaver with InSightec Exablate 2000 system

Matrix Array Transducer• Preliminary trials

of hyperthermic necrosis of cadaveric liver

Robot-mounted Matrix Array • Demonstration of

possible future of image-guided surgery

Summary and the Future

• IMSaT and its partners now allow seamless translation of basic research into clinical progress• Imaging is a key topic in Dundee

• Many projects now under way• Case study: MR-guided focused ultrasound

surgery• Great potential; many major companies

and universities engaged in clinical studies

Summary

Next Steps• Stronger theming Less opportunistic

funding, stronger focus on strategy• Commercialisation Recruitment of

business liaison person• Enhanced marketing/sales Revised

website, planned exhibition and conference attendance

• ISO13485/GLP Certification To reduce barriers to clinical adoption

• Additional facilities Establishment of full preclinical resource unit