NIH R01 · 2024
An MRI-Guided Steerable Needle to Replace Open Brain Surgery for Epilepsy Patients
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of this proposal is to create a novel MRI-guided steerable needle with the potential to cure epilepsy. Significance: This work is motivated by the prevalence of epilepsy where 1 in 150 people have the disorder (3.4 Million in the US alone), with 30% unresponsive to drug therapy, and 1% of all patients suffering sudden unexplained death each year (i.e. an estimated 500,000 people worldwide – each year!) [1-5]. Amazingly, a proven intervention (surgical removal of the hippocampus) already exists that can cure approximately half of the total epilepsy patient population, yet it is rarely performed due to the invasiveness and perceived morbidity…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.