Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment: Russo’s R01 Grant Allows for Promising Research Path
Sheila Russo, a CISE and Hariri Affiliate Professor (ME, MSE), secured an R01 grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH). This grant will support her research on soft robotics, which will enhance the safety and precision of interventional bronchoscopies, specifically addressing cancer biopsies.
A lung cancer biopsy entails an extended metal instrument inserted in the mouth and threaded into the lungs in search of a tumor. According to Russo, approximately 80% of lung nodules form in the deeper peripheral areas of the lungs. However, many of the present-day tools professionals use cannot access these small and deeper lung areas because of these instruments’ large diameter and limited dexterity.
The visualization tool used in the procedure, in some cases, a microscopic camera, has to be removed because it cannot fit in the deeper areas of the lung. “Without direct visualization of where [the instrument] is in the lungs, that can affect the accuracy of the biopsy and, ultimately, whether or not the diagnosis is accurate,” Russo said.
The R01 grant affords Russo’s Material Robotics Lab the opportunity to revolutionize lung cancer diagnostics and treatment. Every passing moment without the advanced soft surgical robot means potential delays in crucial biopsies, diminishing the chances of early detection and accurate diagnoses. The urgency intensifies as patients anxiously await a breakthrough that could significantly improve their treatment outcomes. The new soft robot will have enhanced precision, providing more accurate diagnoses and finding tumors that may not have been found using current-day tools.
Once a patient undergoes an intrusive bronchoscopy and biopsy of the potentially cancerous tissues, they often return home, wait for a diagnosis for a period of time, and the clinician prescribes the treatment. If the diagnosis is malignant cancer, the patient will have to return for treatment. Russo said the lengthy process can lead to frustration for the patient and, during the wait, the cancer continues to grow.
Envisioning a fusion of diagnosis and intervention, this development would drastically decrease the wait time between diagnosis and potentially life-saving treatment. As the biopsy instrument is extracted, an on-site pathologist examines the results and provides an immediate response and treatment plan. The soft robotic bronchoscope’s multiple working channels would then administer targeted therapy to the precise site of concern.
This robot is unlike any other bronchoscopy tool because of its soft feel and gentle tissue interaction. Typical bronchoscopes cause stress in the trachea and the bronchial tree, potentially causing inflammation, bleeding, and other adverse side effects. The new device will lessen any of these side effects, speeding up patient recovery time.
The grant, awarded in August, will last four years, enabling Russo and her Material Robotics Lab at Boston University to develop their surgical soft robots further. NIH funds R01 grants, and Russo’s work was supported by an institute within NIH known as the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB).
Russo’s team will develop the technology, run tests, and validate this new technology on a benchtop setup using simulators. These simulators, usually used to train interventional pulmonologists when learning to complete interventional bronchoscopies, will guide the team to determine whether or not the technology is ready for the next testing stage. In the third and fourth years of the R01 grant, Russo hopes to advance to testing the technology on explanted organs, specifically porcine lungs. “By the end of the project, we’re anticipating that we will be able to prove that our soft robotic technology will have better navigational capabilities, more accurate instrument placement in the lungs, and hopefully also reduce procedure time times than current available endoscopic instruments.” She hopes to apply for other NIH grant mechanisms and test the robot’s functionality with younger clinicians in training and experts with multiple years of experience.
Russo’s research holds significant implications, as the grant will enhance the precision of lung cancer biopsies, targeting specific areas of the lungs more effectively. The improvement in diagnostic yield will ultimately lead to an increase in the survival rate of patients, allowing for more prompt and accurate treatment. Beyond this, the overarching goal of Russo and her lab stretches far beyond the next four years, hoping to utilize the accuracy and influence of this system in the world of robotics and surgery. Ultimately, this work will help reach their goal of improving the survival chances of cancer patients.
More information on Russo and her lab can be found here.