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STTR Phase I: A steerable needle to enable precise and minimally invasive delivery of treatments, ablation therapy and tissue biopsies.

Award Information
Agency: National Science Foundation
Branch: N/A
Contract: 1746583
Agency Tracking Number: 1746583
Amount: $224,592.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: BM
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2017
Award Year: 2018
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2018-01-01
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2018-12-31
Small Business Information
3401 Grays Ferry Ave 212-157
Philadelphia, PA 19146
United States
DUNS: 080435284
HUBZone Owned: Yes
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Eza Koch
 (215) 898-5269
 koch.eza@gmail.com
Business Contact
 Eza Koch
Phone: (215) 898-5269
Email: koch.eza@gmail.com
Research Institution
 University of Pennsylvania
 Mark Yim
 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project include enabling the minimally invasive treatment of a large variety of conditions. This is expected to be achieved through the development of a steerable needle that can reach arbitrary positions in the human body that are not reachable by a straight needle from a simple needle hole. The long term impact of the proposed technology is in targeted delivery of medicine, or the removal of tissue such as biopsies, or treatment mechanisms such as ablation devices. An overarching goal of the proposed project is the availability of minimally invasive procedures that can replace more drastic surgery options. The development of this device has the potential to also save lives, treating what otherwise would be inoperable conditions due to the location of tumors blocked by sensitive organs or bones. The proposed project, if successful, will lead to demonstrating the application of a device that utilizes the buckling behavior of semi-curved beams to controllably alter the stiffness in a needle for cancer treatment and measure its efficacy in terms of the advantages over straight needles. The objectives of this research include: developing a prototype and match to surgeon use cases (interventional radiologist) and testing and characterizing the steerability performance while delivering the medical payload. Specifically, it is expected that the first therapeutic application of this technology will be microwave ablation of cancer tumors.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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