- Diagnostic & therapeutic imaging
- Drug delivery
- Regenerative medicine
- Minimally invasive surgical techniques
Here are some example development projects:
MRI-guided interventions & compatible implants: Researchers at IMSaT have extensive experience in the development of MRI-compatible implants. A range of vascular implant products are being developed in collaboration with industry partners on 1.5 and 3 Tesla platforms. Acute and large animal trials will be performed at the Institute, using an ISO-certified process. Example projects:
- MR Stents – Two types of stent are currently in pre-clinical trials: a balloon-expanding stent underwent a chronic trial at the Department of Cardiology, University of Essen, Germany; a self-expanding Nitinol peripheral stent is being developed and evaluated for a major medical devices manufacturer.
- MR Resonant Occluder Devices – for closure of cardio septal defects such as PFO, ASD and VSD and occlusion of Ductus Botally and sealing of the left atrial appendage.
The resonant circuit overcomes the shielding of the standard nitinol stent increases signal (x4) and signal to noise (S/N) and contrast without contrast agents.
- Stent based MR resonant percutanously implantable heart valves have been developed and tested at NIH.
- MR visible guide wire and catheter – passively compatible guide wires have been developed at our own group and at the University of Basel. Resonant markers have been made for catheters and delivery systems and will be further developed at IMSaT .
- MRI-guided, robotically-assisted, percutaneous interventions – The world’s first MRI and CT compatible robotic system “Innomotion” has been developed by Innomedic of Germany in collaboration with researchers at IMSaT . Innomotion will be further developed at IMSaT for use in 1.5 T and 3 T with specific focus on interventional oncology & spine procedures.
Innomotion system for MRI-guided, robotically-assisted, percutaneous interventions
New, highly targeted drug delivery systems: IMSaT is evaluating the potential clinical applications, efficacy, and commercial/technical requirements of two new systems for destroying, transfecting or delivering drugs direct to cells.
CHO cells selectively transfected, highlighting the specificity of one technique under development. The blue nuclei surrounding the green targeted cells represent cells that have not been transfected, at ×10 and ×60 magnification.
Clinical applications of a novel Terahertz laser: Terahertz-based imaging has many potential medical applications due to its ability to provide good contrast between different tissue types and to spot markers of cancer and other diseases. We are in the early stage of implementing Terahertz in a form that will expand and facilitate its medical applications.
Dynamic sub-cellular 3D imaging: The system under development will provide superior depth-of-field and real-time 3-D rendering that will allow for the first time non-destructive imaging of the structure and function of sub-cellular molecular elements of in-vivo cells without the need of staining, fluorescent tagging, or other extensive sample preparations commonly used today.
Advanced forensic & tissue analysis technique: The technique under development is a highly flexible approach to detecting particular cells or parts of cells. It could revolutionise finger printing in particular, enabling prints to be taken in circumstances that are impossible with the technology in use today.
Middle ear implants (MEIs) for impaired hearing: Researchers have developed an actuator of novel design, that can be clipped to a bone of the ossicular chain, using a novel method of signal transmission and power delivery that has not previously been applied to surgical implants. The combination of component design and method of signal and energy transmission could overcome the present barriers to market acceptability of MEIs as the next step (after hearing aids and cochlear implants) in the treatment of impaired hearing.
Novel phototherapy treatment for common skin cancers: By adapting the latest organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology to an existing treatment method, we have developed a compact light source for treating common skin cancers. It can be worn by the patient in a similar way to a sticking plaster, while the battery is carried like an iPod. Initial pilot trials have already shown its effectiveness, and it is more convenient and comfortable for patients who can move around during treatment.