Closed-Loop and multisEnsing delIvery tool for controlled Laser Ablation of tumors

Introduction

The need for a minimally invasive alternative to traditional cancer surgery is pushing the global market of thermal ablation devices, mainly for treating delicate organs (brain, prostate, breast, pancreas, lung) in inoperable patients.

Market Growth

With its fine and flexible applicator, laser ablation (LA) has been successfully used in lesions that are difficult to access with conventional surgery. Its market is expected to show the highest growth rates in the next 5 years.

Challenges in Laser Ablation

However, crucial aspects and clinical needs are still unsolved for LA:

1. The poor reproducibility of the procedure outcome.
2. The lack of mini-invasive and accurate intraprocedural control.

These factors make LA strongly reliant on the doctor's experience. The lack of control can lead to subtotal tumor coverage, which in turn brings about cancer progression and recurrence.

Project Overview

To solve this issue, in the ERC LASER OPTIMAL project that I lead, we developed the first platform that integrates a closed-loop control strategy of LA with multiplexed fiber optic sensors (FOSs) at the millimetric scale. This platform modulates the laser power based on the measured tissue temperature.

LEILA System

LEILA is the integration of this control platform with a novel smart applicator that embeds the laser delivery and the temperature monitoring with FOSs.

Proof of Concept Proposal

In this PoC proposal, a technical-commercial feasibility study will be performed to move the LEILA system to the market.

Objectives of the PoC

The PoC will allow:

• Prototyping the system.
• Establishing contact with stakeholders for testing and integration of LEILA in existing medical systems.
• Preparing a ready-to-use tool.

The PoC will also set the market and health technology assessment, the business model, and the IP protection strategy, identifying the best exploitation strategy for valorizing the know-how.