Center for Computer-Integrated Surgical Systems & Technology (CISST)

Robot Assistance for Small Animal Research

A team of researchers led by Assistant Research Professor Peter Kazanzides and Associate Research Professor Gabor Fichtinger at the Computer Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology (CISST) ERC developed an image-guided robot system to support medical research with small animals. The motivating problem was to automate and improve a tedious manual procedure used at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) to identify hypoxic (oxygen-deficient) tumor cells. Hypoxic cells are more resistant to radiation treatment, so a non-invasive identification method would allow clinicians to deliver higher radiation doses to those cells. MSKCC researchers have been validating the efficacy of PET image data, with an appropriate tracer, for identifying hypoxic cells by correlating multiple image data points with oxygen tension (pO2;) measurements obtained invasively using a manually inserted probe.

The robot system consists of a mobile cart that houses the electronics, provides a tabletop for the 4-axis robot and display monitor, and contains a pull-out drawer for the keyboard and mouse. The robot design consists of an X-Y platform that moves the rodent bed and a 2-axis insertion stage (Z1 and Z2) as shown in Figure 1. The Z1 axis is used to position a cannula near the skin surface and the Z2 axis is used to drive the needle or measurement probe to the target. The measurement procedure is physically decoupled from the imaging procedure for maximum flexibility; therefore, fiducial markers are used for the registration between image coordinates and robot coordinates. The system uses the Acustar® marker system, donated by Z-Kat, Inc., for the CT, MRI, and robot markers and a separate set of support tubes (offset by a known amount) for the radioactive PET markers. During the robot registration procedure, the cannula is replaced by a registration probe, which is guided to the markers using a force control mode. Force control is possible because the system contains a 2-axis sensor (XY) beneath the rodent bed and a single-axis sensor (Z1) near the attachment mechanism for the registration probe and cannula

The system was delivered to MSKCC in January 2005. Figure 2 shows the first rodent experiment performed at MSKCC. The robot system is expected to facilitate cancer research. Further applications, such as biopsy and injection, using other imaging modalities such as CT, MRI, and SPECT are planned. CISST ERC researchers are also identifying other medical research centers that may benefit from this technology.

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CAD Model of Robot System.

First rodent experiment at MSKCC.

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Last modified: April 2, 2006