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FORNY20-FORNY2020

KVAL: Automated decision support in planning and guidance of bronchoscopy in lung cancer diagnostics

Alternative title: Automatisert beslutningsstøtte i planlegging og veiledning av bronkoskopi i lungekreftdiagnostikk

Awarded: NOK 0.50 mill.

Project Number:

330660

Project Period:

2021 - 2022

Funding received from:

LungGuide will develop a software for planning and guidance of examination of the airways of the lungs, especially with a goal of tissue sampling (biopsy) in lung cancer diagnostics. An early version of the planning part of the software can be seen here; https://www.custusx.org/fraxinus Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Early stage lung cancer, with the potential for curative treatment has few symptoms, which is the main reason for delayed examination and treatment. In Norway, 3685 people had lung cancer in 2021. The incidence of lung cancer is increasing, especially in women over 65 years. It is crucial for the right treatment decision and patient survival to determine the spread of the disease as early as possible. Therefore, lung cancer assessment often involves many different radiological examinations. It would be beneficial to say as much as possible as early as possible when examining a patient. The main question is whether curative treatment is possible. If this cannot be determined, a biopsy is the next step. Bronchoscopy is an examination of the airways with a thin steerable and flexible tube with a video camera on the tip and an important tool for lung tissue sampling. LungGuide, our software-based decision support, will be able to increase the success rate of biopsies during bronchoscopy. It will support the lung doctors in sampling the suspicious finding from CT on the first attempt, thus avoiding unnecessary delays. Similar solutions are available in the market today, but usually only as an integral part of expensive navigation systems. In addition, such navigation systems have high operating costs (expensive disposable instruments) and can be complex to use. Only a few specialized centers can make the necessary investments. LungGuide can be used in all clinics that perform bronchoscopy and lung cancer diagnostics without the need of any additional equipment.

Prosjektet har gjort det mulig for oss å undersøke markedet og IP-situasjonen til prosjektet LungGuide, samt utvide nødvendig nettverk for å gå videre med en mulig kommersialisering. LungGuide muliggjør automatisk planlegging av bronkoskopi basert på CT bilder av pasienten. Legen kan så endre på planen dersom det ønskes en litt annen rute til kreftsvulsten det skal tas biopsi av. LungGuide benytter AI-algoritmer for å finne strukturer i CT-bildene automatisk. Dette vil være tidsbesparende for lungelegene samt at planen kan benyttes som en guide under selve prosedyren. Forskningsteamet i LungGuide har opparbeidet kompetanse på IP, marked, regulatoriske forhold og er nå i bedre stand til videre arbeid med kommersialisering av teknologien gjennom nye prosjekter.

Funding scheme:

FORNY20-FORNY2020