Welcome
This is a project where we explore ways of improving tissue sample extraction on behalf of MR-Labs at ST. Olavs Our goal is to make a solution that is easy to use, effective and provides high quality samples.
The project was originally divided into several sub-problems:
The Cutting/Drilling
Current procedure:
Manually lowered stationary hole-drill with manual moving plate. Drill-bits are created specifically at NTNU for this purpose.
Current Improvement:
CNC-milling
automates the cutting and allows for a variety of sample shapes and sizes. This solution does however produce more heat than the existing procedure and includes sideways-forces into the problem
Tissue Recognition/Mapping
Current procedure:
Manual Recognition by medical personnel by using MR photos and photos of each side of the slice. This is however suboptimal because it is really difficult to see cancerous tissue on frozen prostate with human eye (even for trained doctors)
Current improvement:
A project testing the possibility of hyperspectral imaging has been started.
The Gripping/Clamping
Current procedure:
Prostate slice is pushed from four sides by clamps. This is problematic as the clamps sometimes slip and the operator has to readjust them.
The Planning
Current procedure:
Usually takes several hours.
Possible improvements:
Provide a software which makes the planning easier and quicker
Obstacles:
Not very high priority
Temperature exposure
Current procedure: The workstation os coole
Possible improvements:
Regulate temperature precisely (Temperature-fluctuation is ok as long as it happens below limit.)
Obstacles:
Humidity from the frozen tissue
-10 is absolute limit, defrosting destroys sample
Minimize human interference
Current procedure:
Everything is done by human, From slicing to drilling
Possible improvements:
Automate the procedure, so that all the human has to do is place the slice in a drawer, and the finished test samples and the prostate slice comes out in seperate drawers, ready for storage
Make the technical aspect of the procedure easier for the operator
Obstacles:
A lot of smaller procedures must be automated before the whole procedure can be automated
Contamination
Current procedure:
Possible improvements:
Obstacles:
Avoid polymer contamination
Time reduction
Current procedure:
Planning the drilling: Hours to days
Actuall Drilling: 10-15 minutes (20s per sample, 10-30 prøver per slice)
Possible improvements:
Automation of drilling procedure
Computer vision
Obstacles:
Temporary Storage of Samples/Transportation
Current procedure:
Manual moving of cut sample from cutting board to specimen tube.
Larger sample glass.
Possible improvements:
Shute/Fall into tube below
Obstacles:
Has to stay cooled
Team members
Øystein Nordrik
Peter Andreas Gisholt
Counselor
Håvard Vestad