mediri staff comprises a group of highly qualified research scientists with a long lasting experience in several fields of medical research and computational science.
So, mediri is partner in several research projects:
Targeted Drug Delivery with sonography based motion compensated MRI guided focused ultrasound
Aim of this Israeli-German cooperation project is to develop a technology platform that allows a localized chemotherapeutic drug delivery to moving organs by MR guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS). This biotechnological approach will utilize a unique combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound image tracking to allow a focused ultrasound drug delivery application. Combining these two imaging modalities will generate both high temporal and spatial resolutions, thus providing the needed data to track dynamic organs for accurate in vivo delivery and monitoring of therapy. In a second phase, the new hybrid imaging – therapy system will be used to assess whether focused ultrasound release and enhanced drug delivery can be used to treat liver and possibly other abdominal tumors in vivo.
Project partners:
InSightec Ltd. Tirat Carmel, Israel
Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
German Cancer Research Center (dkfz), Heidelberg, Germany
Grant:
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
BIO-DISC, R&D cooperation Israel – Germany
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FUSIMO: Patient specific modeling and simulation of focused ulrasound in moving organs
In recent years, the therapy with High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) and Focused Ultrasound Surgery (FUS) gain more and more clinical interest. Expecially the use of Magentic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for therapy guidance enables a higly precise and reliable therapy.
However, treating tumours with focused ultrasound is still challenging, especially in moving organs with a complex blood supply. It is important to understand that the processes involved in FUS therapy are multi-level, ranging from organ morphology, perfusion and motion, down to microscopic and cellular level. The relation within and between these levels is not well understood.
FUSIMO will develop, implement and validate a multi-level model for moving abdominal organs for the use with FUS and Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS). The overall model will consist of several sub-models, which interact and describe aspects in a hierarchical manner. The integrated model will consist of:
- Abdominal organ model to simulate motion and the influence on ultrasound application
- Target organ/tumour model to capture organ/tumour physiology, and organ/tumour reaction to therapy
- Microscopic tissue model to simulate direct heat ablation, model energy distribution, tissue heating and cooling
- Model to evaluate first steps to simulate drug delivery, microbubble distribution and dynamics
The FUSIMO developments in the field of hardware and software will be combined into an integrated system, which will allow both abdominal FUS application to moving organs, and also other treatment modalities such as radio frequency, laser or cryotherapy or other types of interventions based on particles or fields in radiation therapy.
Grant:
FUSIMO is funded under the EU’s Seventh Frame-work Programme for Research and Technological Developmentby.
For more information please go to the FUSIMO webpage.
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