GuidaBot Developing a Robotic System for MRI-Guided Interventions
GuidaBot, LLC, a joint venture between the 葫芦影业 and Fannin Innovation Studio, has received a one-year, $225,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and commercialize a robotic manipulator designed to work within the powerful magnetic field of an MRI machine.
The small business technology transfer grant will be used to support ongoing research and testing of prototype systems based on GuidaBot's force transmission mechanism and proprietary software. The GuidaBot technology will enable doctors to perform biopsies while the patient remains within the MRI machine, allowing for faster and more precise procedures.
鈥淭he grant will help us maintain momentum in the lab to commercialize the device for medical use,鈥� said Michael J. Heffernan, GuidaBot director of research and development. 鈥淐ontinued support from the National Science Foundation further validates our work and positions us to actively and effectively pursue strategic partners and investors.鈥�
Nikolaos V. Tsekos, associate professor of computer science and director of the Medical
Robotics Laboratory, was the principal investigator of the original NSF award.Financial support for the initial work was provided through a NSF grant, the University
of Houston and Fannin Innovation Studio, which works with institutions in the Texas
Medical Center to create and support life sciences businesses.
鈥淭he National Science Foundation supports small businesses with the most innovative, cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to become great commercial successes and make huge societal impacts,鈥� said Barry Johnson, director of the NSF鈥檚 Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships. 鈥淲e hope that this seed funding will spark solutions to some of the most important challenges of our time across all areas of science and technology.鈥�
The company鈥檚 technology was developed with a $1.5 million NSF Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) award entitled 鈥楳ultimodal image-guided robot-assisted surgeries鈥�.
鈥淭his award has resulted in a suite of robotic, magnetic resonance imaging and computational methods seamlessly integrating the robot, the MRI scanner, and the physician to streamline MRI-guided procedures and improve patient outcomes,鈥� said Nikolaos V. Tsekos, associate professor of computer science at UH, director of the Medical Robotics Laboratory and principal investigator of the original NSF award. 鈥淲hile similar robotic systems use complex piezoelectric, pneumatic or hydraulic motors, we鈥檙e developing ours using solid-media transmission, a fundamentally new way of transmitting force.鈥�
Pilot studies have demonstrated the compatibility of the novel force transmission system with the MRI scanner, and the new grant will support further development of the prototype robot and proof-of-concept studies with MRI phantoms.
鈥淭he National Science Foundation grant is instrumental in continuing valuable research and development of the robotic manipulator,鈥� said Fannin executive chairman Leo Linbeck III. 鈥淭his is one of many validations of Fannin鈥檚 ability to commercialize technologies and its commitment to Houston鈥檚 life sciences infrastructure.鈥�
Ramanan Krishnamoorti, interim vice president for research and technology transfer at UH, said the partnership with Fannin Innovation Studio has been pivotal. 鈥淏ringing innovative technology like that developed by Dr. Tsekos and GuidaBot to the marketplace requires a strong support network of services,鈥� he said. 鈥淐ombining the intellectual and technical strengths of our faculty with those of our partners in the community can boost the benefits to society.鈥�
- Jeannie Kever, University Media Relations