The Brain Tool Laboratory at Duke University was recently awarded a Research Project Grant (R01) by the National Institutes of Health to create a more accurate and precise method for tumor resection through the melding of computer vision, machine learning, optical detection and precise laser elimination. This research effort will span four years with support of $1.1 million from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging & Bioengineering.
The lab is a collaboration of the Department of Neurosurgery and the Pratt School of Engineering. It specializes in medical device research which combines engineering expertise with clinical expertise to develop the next generation of surgical systems. Neurosurgeon Patrick Codd, MD, is principal investigator.
The group's surgical platform, called "TumorCNC," combines state-of-the-art imaging systems with a robotic laser scalpel to safely and rapidly perform surgical resection of soft tissues. "The team aims to reimagine what ultraprecise, safe, and accurate surgery really means," said Codd.
The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between Duke's schools of engineering and medicine, with Codd (Neurosurgery), Dr. Wes Ross (Neurosurgery), Dr. Brian Mann (Engineering), and Dr. William Eward (Orthopedic Oncology).