McMaster University professor behind robot-assisted breast cancer diagnostics

A McMaster University professor is behind a project to see technology first designed for use in space perform robot-assisted biopsy and diagnostics for breast cancer.

The image-guided autonomous robot technology was initially used for remote maintenance in the Canadian Space Agency's space shuttle Canadarm.

Now, the same technology would deliver detailed images with high precision and more accuracy in detecting and biopsying potential cancerous lesions - all with minimally invasive procedures.

Dr. Mehran Anvari, scientific director at the Centre for Surgical Invention and Innovation, said this technology could revolutionize the treatment of one of the most common diagnoses among women.

The first-ever fully automated robotic technology would work inside an MRI scanner to detect, freeze, and biopsy the lesion" with less pain and less trauma to the patient," Anvari said. It could also function both remotely or with minimal supervision from a radiologist.

Once approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Anvari said the robotic technology would also be able to treat the lesion."

In Canada, at least 43 per cent women aged 40 to 74 have dense breasts, which may cause screening challenges and pose risk for cancer. They are recommended to have annual mammograms.

But the current procedures can be time-consuming, imprecise, and painful, Anvari said. He said detailed MRI scans tend to detect tiny lesions" that may not be cancer, leading patients down the rabbit hole" of repeated screenings for accuracy.

Women should be getting to the front of the queue for having their MRI for dense breasts," as things can escalate quickly for a person who is referred with potentially dense breasts and breast lesions, said Paul Chipperton, CEO of Insight Medbotics Inc. - a Hamilton-based health systems company.

Chipperton and Anvari are working together to commercialize the robot-assisted treatment tech in the U.S. market, where Chipperton said, we are very close to having clearance from the FDA."

McMaster University has also contributed $435,000 to help scale this model of robotic-assisted treatment under the McMaster Seed Fund.

Chipperton told The Spectator the first four units of the tech are expected to be deployed in the U.S. in 2023 after agency approval.

Meanwhile, the team is working to get authorization from Health Canada. Chipperton said until then, it will be used as a research tool with leading clinicians as early as next year."

Once made available in Canada, it would be covered by the health-care benefits, and patients would not be charged for robot-assisted screening.

Ritika Dubey is a reporter at The Spectator. rdubey@thespec.com