| Project Detail |
Risk-free lung biopsy
Lung cancer diagnosis and classification require biopsy through computed tomography-assisted transthoracic needle insertion. However, this procedure poses a high risk of the lungs collapsing, a condition known as pneumothorax. Apart from being life-threatening, pneumothorax is associated with further treatments, suffering and high healthcare costs. Funded by the European Innovation Council, the Selio System project designed an innovative prophylactic device that prevents air leak (and blood) inside the lungs. It consists of a needle with a biodegradable sealant that enables clinicians to perform the biopsy just as before – but without the risk of pneumothorax.
Every 30sec someone somewhere globally dies of lung cancer. EU records ~320,000 pa new lung cancer cases. Early lung cancer diagnosis can save lives through timely/efficient interventions. CT guided lung biopsy is the gold standard for lung cancer screening. However, it comes with 62% inherent risk of life-threatening complication pneumothorax (PTX)- a complete or partial lung collapse. PTX sufferers require further radiological scans, needle aspiration, chest tube insertion or surgery- requiring additional hospital stay & ~€15k cost-of-care. Currently no method or device prevents PTX during the percutaneous needle access of lung.
Our patented Selio System will be world’s first system specifically designed to prevent PTX occurring before biopsy even takes place. Used by an interventional radiologist before lung biopsy procedure in a 2 min ‘add-on’ to the current standard of care, Selio System pre-seals the needle tract in tissue, thereby preventing air & blood leak from those organs |
