Grant: Operating Grant

In this proposal, we will develop and evaluate an advanced interventional guidance platform for intra-arterial procedures in primary and secondary liver cancer, using both C-arm cone beam CT (CBCT) and MR-image guidance. This includes fusion and manipulation of prior and real-time imaging and device information, and facilitating translation toward effective clinical utilization for targeted treatment of liver tumors by chemo-embolization. This includes the effective integration of advanced imaging information into current intra-arterial intervention environments through motion-compensated real-time registration of previously acquired and processed 3D and 4D data with intra-procedural "real-time" fluoroscopy, ultrasound (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). New catheter tracking techniques using optical shape sensing and visualization merged with tumor targets will be evaluated for therapy delivery and monitoring of therapeutic response during procedures within an integrated environment. We expect these innovations to become part of a new generation of guidance tools and improve the efficacy of liver cancer treatments by increasing drug concentration in tumor tissues and limiting systemic toxicity.