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H2020Doctoral network2019–2022

ElectroPros · Training research pioneers by utilizing and validating the promise of electroporation for minimal invasive oncological treatments.

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2019-01-01 → 2022-12-31
EU contribution
€1,023,985
Participants
3
Scheme
MSCA-ITN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Training research pioneers by utilizing and validating the promise of electroporation for minimal invasive oncological treatments.

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the world today (WHO world cancer report 2014: 8.2 million cancer related deaths per year) and numbers are still rising rapidly in an aging population. Up to the year 2050, a growth in cancer patients of ~30% is estimated. Cancer is the name for the group of malignant tumor diseases. Due to this high societal burden of cancer, tumor therapy is a very important research area, connected to limits and side-effects of the current standard of care treatment. Furthermore, life expectancy for cancer patients is increasing, making quality of life and minimal side-effects of treatments an important issue. The traditional treatment methods in cancer care are surgery, systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In the last decade, a new fourth pillar in cancer treatment has developed, namely minimally-invasive interventional treatment. The Éuropean Industry Doctorate (EID) project ElectroPros focussed on research related to a new promising minimally-invasive cancer treatment procedure: Irreversible electroporation (IRE). A treatment method to kill tumor cells with electric fields. Four PhD candidates were hired to advance the research related to IRE. The EID program is unique because it enables the PhD candidates to be trained and research in the academic as well as the industrial sector. Main outcomes of the ElectroPros project are simulation models to optimize treatment procedures and devices. Alternative methods to test the efficacy of developed devices, without need for animal experiments and computational algorithms to improve procedure planning which can be utilized in procedure planning software applications.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The ElectroPros action aims to optimally prepare young researchers for the evolving technology in the healthcare space, especially related to minimal invasive oncology therapies, by offering a unique set of targeted interdisciplinary training and research assignments in the areas of biophysics modelling and simulation, device physics, optimization algorithms, software integration and experimental validation. Four European Industrial Doctorate positions are offered to Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) for a period of three years. In the training program a combination of industrial, academic and clinical research environments are provided by Philips, the University Clinic Aachen and RWTH Aachen, to explore the field of electroporation, as a new and promising technique for minimal invasive oncology treatment. Based on sound career development plans, and coached by experienced supervisors, the four ESRs involved will develop a competence profile which will springboard their future career in the wide European medical community in the industrial, clinical and academic domain. These researchers have the potential to become pioneers for new minimally-invasive therapies for the oncology domain.During their training, the ESRs will work on electroporation based treatment of cancer. The ESRs address shortcomings of the currently available equipment to enable for the first time ever a reliable patient-specific electroporation based treatment for cancer. With a focus on liver cancer, the ESRs will collectively establish novel insights on the biophysical effects on various tissues, important to understand the treatment effect, and integrate this knowledge in optimal device (needle) design and multi-physics models for treatment outcome prediction and inverse planning algorithms. Furthermore, the developed assets will be integrated in clinical prototype software to support and optimize the clinical workflow.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NEDERLAND BV · EindhovenCoordinatorNetherlands
  • RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHEN · AachenGermany
  • UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM AACHEN · AachenGermany

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union