Simulation-Assisted minimally invasive cancer treatment using the gosmart environment
The objective of this proposal is to assess the potential for commercialisation of an innovative cloud-based software product which will assist interventional radiologists to perform minimally invasive cancer treatments more successfully. There are different approaches to removing tumours in organs (i.e. the liver, kidney and lung) and each has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the size and location of the tumour. Minimally invasive cancer treatments offer clear advantages as the procedures are targeted and much less intrusive compared to surgical resection. However, the procedure can be very technical, as the radiologist must understand how the settings of the device affect the heat transfer in the localised region surrounding the tumour. Our software product will bridge this gap and help the radiologist understand how to best perform the treatment within a virtual environment with no risk to the patient. This will bring benefits to the radiological community through more accurate treatments, will make the procedures more efficient and cost-effective, and will reduce the hospital carbon footprint through more integrated collaboration and reduced travel. In addition, as it is web-based, it will help to integrate the global interventional oncology community, providing less experienced clinicians in developing countries with a user-friendly environment to work with their more experienced colleagues on a global basis. During this project, we will enhance our simulation environment and refine our growth projections for the first 8 years on the market. We will also analyse the market needs and define the regulatory requirements for patient data sharing and use of the software in the clinical environment. This information will assist us to understand the most efficient route to bring the software to the market.