KVAL: Prone Biopsy system (Probios)

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and one of the leading causes of cancer worldwide. Diagnosis is always based on imaging (mainly mammography and ultrasound), combined with a biopsy to confirm the pathology. Currently there is a high rate of false positives and negatives, leading to unnecessary radiation and invasive procedures, such as biopsies. This negatively impact the patients' quality of life and put a high burden on health care systems. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging can be used to detect tumors and lesions that are invisible to other techniques, heterogenetic tumors which are difficult to characterize, or tumors that present functional resistance to chemotherapy. PET scans in conjunction with other imaging procedures therefor holds the potential to reduce the number of false positives and negatives biopsy results. However, there are currently no available commercial systems that allows biopsy to be performed during PET scans and thus the biopsies have to be performed under Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)/Computed tomography (CT) or other imaging technologies. This is both inefficient and can be inaccurate which can lead to unnecessary biopsies. The overall aim of the project is to develop a complete biopsy system compatible during PET scans. For this qualification project we aim to secure IPR, initiate the prototype design process and map the most strategic route to the market for the technology.

In the project period we have positioned the technology for further development and funding by setting an IPR strategy for the technology where the first patent of a patentportfolio has been drafted. In addition we've had a productive prototype design process with Inventas where a first version of part of the system has been produced. The prototype design process has been very educational and will benefit our TTO. We have also set a funding plan for the project and the results from this qualification project has made it possible to set up application for more substantial funding to develop the technology further.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and one of the leading causes of cancer worldwide. Diagnosis is always based on imaging (mainly mammography and ultrasound), combined with a biopsy to confirm the pathology. Currently there is a high rate of false positives and negatives, leading to unnecessary radiation and invasive procedures, such as biopsies. This negatively impact the patient’s quality of life and put a high burden on health care systems. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging can be used to detect tumours and lesions that are invisible to other techniques, heterogenetic tumours which are difficult to characterize, or tumors that present functional resistance to chemotherapy. PET scans in junction with other imaging procedures therefor holds the potential to reduce the number of false positives and negatives biopsy results. However, there are currently no available commercial systems that allows biopsy to be performed during PET scans and thus the patients have to come back to perform biopsies under Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)/Computed tomography (CT) or other imaging technologies. The overall aim of the project is to develop a complete biopsy system compatible during PET scans. For this qualification project we aim to secure IPR, initiate the prototype design process and map the most strategic route to the market for the technology.