From research to the operating room – new imaging for neurosurgery
Another major milestone in HORAO research has been reached: a newly developed type of microscope is used during brain tumor surgery.
Once a brain tumor has been diagnosed, complete resection is the first and decisive step in the treatment plan. However, even with the most modern surgical microscopes, it is still difficult to distinguish healthy brain tissue from diseased tumor tissue during an operation. The risk that a tumor can only be removed incompletely or that neurological damage occurs after the operation is high.
This is precisely where the HORAO research project comes in. Specialists from the fields of optical physics, pathology, neurosurgery and artificial intelligence are researching and working together to develop a new optical method that should lead to safer, faster and more precise tumor resections.
The technology behind it
HORAO uses imaging Mueller polarimetry technology, or IMP for short. It is based on the fact that highly organized structures in the brain reflect polarized light differently than the unorganized cells of tumours. Mueller polarimetry also has the advantage that it can be used in real time, non-invasively and without the use of contrast agents. However, in order for this to be used in the operating theatre, the IMP must be miniaturized to such an extent that it can be integrated into a neurosurgical operating microscope at the end of the development process. Automated tumour segmentation should then be possible with the help of state-of-the-art computer visualization. The fibre tracts, which carry important brain functions, can also be visualized under polarized light and protected during the operation.
Where does HORAO stand today?
An important milestone in the HORAO research project has been reached: for the first time, a newly developed type of surgical microscope was successfully used during brain tumor surgery at Inselspital Bern. This innovative device aims to enable a more radical and at the same time safer removal of brain tumors using advanced imaging technologies. Initial measurements show promising results that underline the potential for further development of the prototype.
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The history – crowdfunding & crowdsourcing
HORAO was the brainchild of some creative minds in neurosurgery at Inselspital. They were looking for an answer to the question: How can healthy brain tissue be reliably distinguished from tumor tissue? A global brainstorming session, a so-called crowdsourcing competition, was to bring them a step closer to solving this medical problem. After the first Swiss crowdfunding in the field of medical research to generate financial resources, the crowdsourcing was completed in 2019 and the HORAO project by Ivan Gusachenko from France was chosen as the winner. Two years later, the international research team working on HORAO received the prestigious Sinergia Grant from the SNSF worth CHF 2.3 million, which will fund the research project for four years.
