A Bronchoscopic Catheter for Local Nebulization in the Lung
Surgeons are often unable to accurately identify the tumor they need to resect intraoperatively. At the same time, there is a need for a catheter that can locally and cost-effectively treat a pathologic area of tissue in the lung. This thesis focuses on the hardware: a specific catheter that can nebulize liquids during bronchoscopy for selective addressing of lung segments.
The student will design and prototype the catheter, with particular attention to how its position and nebulization mechanism affect delivery to the selected segment. The prototype will be evaluated in an airway model by measuring where the nebulized liquid reaches and how consistently it can be delivered. The longer-term applications proposed by the clinician are delivery of a fluorescent imaging probe for intraoperative tumor identification and local administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors/intratumoral therapy. Testing those clinical applications is beyond the scope of this design thesis.
Suitable for: A student interested in mechanical design, catheter development, prototyping, and experimental testing.