UK (Commonwealth Union) – The advance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed just about every sector. The ability of AI to better evaluate the patterns and statistics and make predictions is mind blowing.
Researchers from the Imperial College London have successfully inserted a bioinspired steerable catheter into the brain of an animal for the 1st time. The early-stage study evaluated the delivery and safety of the new implantable catheter design in 2 sheep to find the possibility of use in diagnosing and treatment of brain diseases.
The confirmation of effectiveness and safety for humans, the method may simplify and bring down the risks linked with diagnosing and treating disease in the deep, delicate parts of the brain.
The device may assist in surgery to view deeper proportions of the brain to diagnose disease, supply treatment like drugs and laser ablation with increased accuracy to tumors, and further deploy electrodes for extensive brain stimulation in conditions like Parkinson’s and epilepsy.
“The brain is a fragile, complex web of tightly packed nerve cells that each have their part to play. When disease arises, we want to be able to navigate this delicate environment to precisely target those areas without harming healthy cells,” said Senior author Professor Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena, of the College’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, who led the European effort.
Professor Baena further stated that the new accurate minimally invasive platform further enhances presently available technology and could advance the possibility to safely and effectively diagnose and treat diseases in humans, with evidence of safety and effectiveness.
University of Milan’s Professor Lorenzo Bello, co-author of the study stated that a significant restriction of the current minimally invasive surgery, is going deeper into the brain means going in a straight line, whereas they found that their steerable catheter will not have these restrictions.
