A 3D-printed biopsy capsule device that turns tumour fragments normally lost during biopsy into precisely mapped samples and could open new possibilities for understanding glioblastoma.
Developed and patented by Queen’s researchers, Dr. Jamie Purzner and Dr. Teresa Purzner, assistant professors at the Department of Surgery at Queen’s School of Medicine, along with Kaytlin Andrews, Queen’s Translational Medicine PhD candidate ’27, the 3D-printed biopsy capsule offers surgeons a fast, low-risk way to gather high-quality spatially mapped tumour samples.
Glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, is one of the most aggressive cancers known, due to its genetic mutations that lead to uncontrolled growth and invasion. In fact, patients with glioblastoma typically have a survival rate of 12 to 18 months after diagnosis.
Researchers studying glioblastomas have long been limited by inconsistent or sparsely annotated biopsy material. The biopsy capsule, designed to integrate seamlessly into a surgeon’s existing workflow, aims to change that.
According to Andrews, by attaching to the suction tool already used by neurosurgeons in the operating room, the capsule functions as a trap. Instead of tissue fragments being lost to the suction canister, as they typically would be, they are able to be captured, sealed, and removed as a contained unit.
“Each capsule is fully enclosed, which protects the tissue architecture and prevents cross-contamination between samples,” Andrews explained in an interview with The Journal.
Andrews noted that while traditional biopsy methods, which can include a needle biopsy or a more invasive surgery, are suitable for diagnosis, they aren’t designed to collect many consistent, spatially organized samples.
“Our design keeps patient safety and operating time front and centre, and lets us collect samples without unnecessary risk,” Andrews added.
Since each capsule is registered to a neuro-navigation system, the exact 3D location in the brain where each biopsy was taken can be mapped.
Spatially mapping the samples by linking them to provide scientists with greater context that traditional biopsies can’t.
According to Andrews, this context allows the tissue sample to become a tumour sample from a specific spot in the brain with known imaging features, opening the door to correlating cellular behaviour with MRI-visible patterns.
Developing the capsule presented a new challenge: balancing the needs of surgeons, nurses, and sterilization teams all at once. “The capsule had to be small enough to fit in the surgical field, sturdy enough not to risk damage, made from medical-grade materials, and simple enough to assemble,” noted Andrews.
The team went through various cycles of testing and printing with the support of Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation to improve the integration of the capsule into preexisting surgical procedures.
According to Andrews, the team’s now working to scale up. The capsule is already in use at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, and they hope to expand the use of the capsule to more patients so the spatially mapped tissue can be paired with advanced molecular techniques.
“Ultimately, the hope is that devices like this [the capsule] will help bridge the gap between what’s seen on scans, what’s happening at the cellular level, and how treatments are planned for individual patients,” Andrews stated.
Tags
brain cancer, Cancer Research, KHSC
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