LERCO

Applied Research in Oncology

The main goal of the VP7 research program is to develop research activities focused on experimental oncological surgery, preclinical and clinical laboratory cancer diagnostics, imaging diagnostic methods, biosignal analysis, and data sets. One of the tools to support research in this area is the acquisition of top researchers from the Czech Republic and abroad.

The implementation of VP7 involves the University Hospital Ostrava (FNO) and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ostrava (LFOU).

The research program consists of 10 main activities.

The implementation of activities is led by the partner FNO, with the LFOU also participating in specific activities. FNO acts as the professional guarantor and ensures the connection of individual research activities in practical and clinical terms, while the staff of the Faculty of Medicine of OU involved in this research program enable the linkage of activities with the scientific research background of the faculty and the applicability of findings to the educational process of OU students and other R&D staff of the Faculty of Medicine of OU.

The individual activities, i.e., the outputs and benefits of VP7, will be reflected in the content of the existing doctoral study programs of OU or in the study programs that are in the process of accreditation:

Links to individual SPs:

SUBTASK 1 - Experimental Oncological Surgery

SUBTASK 2 - Preclinical and Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics in Modern Oncology

SUBTASK 3 - Analysis of Medical Data Using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining

Subtask 1 Experimental Oncological Surgery

Research activities in the field of experimental oncological surgery are focused on the development and innovation of medical devices and advanced technologies in oncological surgery in cooperation with commercial partners, aimed at clinical trials and validation of medical devices and testing of modern software solutions. Cooperation takes place across individual VPs.

New technologies using virtual and augmented reality, advanced image detection with 3D cameras, and artificial intelligence are used across research activities.

In cooperation with VŠB teams, new software solutions and device designs for diagnostics and treatment are being developed.

The professional focus of the subtask is:

  • Experimental oncological surgery, leading to the development and innovation of medical devices and advanced technologies in oncological surgery
  • Research of squamous cell carcinoma in stomatosurgery
  • Development of a device for early detection of surgical wound inflammation using advanced thermal analysis
  • Focus on the use of virtual and augmented reality and advanced analysis of movement patterns

Subtask 1 Experimental Surgery consists of 4 main activities:

  1. New technologies in hepato-oncology, gastroenterology, and biomedical research, tele-mentoring
  2. Research of squamous cell carcinoma – stomatosurgery
  3. Thermodetector of wound inflammation
  4. Experimental onco-neurosurgery, anatomy, and virtual reality in clinical practice

Subtask 2 Preclinical and Clinical Diagnostics in Modern Oncology

Oncology is a very dynamic field that connects various areas of both surgical and internal disciplines. The foundation of these disciplines is laboratory diagnostics, which has an irreplaceable place in comprehensive oncological patient care. The study of civilization diseases and oncological diseases are closely related, therefore, the identification and study of new laboratory biomarkers, which would allow monitoring the dynamic development of internal diseases, diagnosing the disease, and last but not least, contributing to early diagnosis within comprehensive oncological care, is currently very important. These are not only biomarkers of internal diseases but also oncological diseases. One of the most dynamically developing areas of solid tumor therapy is immunotherapy. We anticipate the formation of new multicenter teams that will focus on multicenter studies in this extremely important diagnostic area with the potential for transferring knowledge into routine diagnostic and therapeutic practice.

Imaging techniques, especially MRI and CT, are the basis for diagnosing and monitoring the treatment of most oncological and other diseases. The use of source data from these diagnostic methods in a virtual reality environment or the preparation of 3D models brings new possibilities in planning and performing especially surgical treatments.

The professional focus of the subtask is:

  • Research in the field of laboratory diagnostics of oncological and internal diseases
  • Use of virtual, augmented reality, and 3D printing in the preparation and implementation of surgical procedures

Subtask 2 Preclinical and Clinical Diagnostics in Modern Oncology consists of 4 main activities:

  1. Three-dimensional navigation in real-time, use of VR and AR in hepato-surgery, oncological surgery, radiodiagnostics
  2. Image data processing – Radiodiagnostics and Experimental Radiosurgery, 3D modeling, and 3D printing
  3. Study of predictors of immunotherapy in solid tumors and hematological malignancies – hematopathology and immunomonitoring
  4. Identification and study of new laboratory biomarkers of internal diseases – ULM and internal medicine

Subtask 3: Analysis of Medical Data Using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining

The content of the third subtask is the advanced analysis of medical data, which currently cannot do without the use of innovative methods including machine learning and artificial intelligence. Data mining brings analytical procedures that extract information from data that is not clearly visible and remains hidden during normal evaluation, while this information can be very important for further treatment or prognosis of the patient.

The evaluation of large sets of textual, numerical, or image data will allow a better understanding of the relationship between cause and effect, which is key in disease treatment. Machine learning will enable the creation of algorithms that effectively assist doctors in evaluating clinical data and designing optimal treatment procedures.

The professional focus of the subtask

  1. The professional focus of the activity Image Data Processing and Segmentation is the analysis of a large set of image data from CT or MRI and the creation of software enabling automatic segmentation of pathological or anatomical structures.
  2. The professional focus of the activity Analysis of Large Sets of Textual and Numerical Data is data mining and statistical analysis of data from medical documentation.

Subtask 3 Analysis of Medical Data Using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining consists of 2 main activities:

  1. Image Data Processing and Segmentation
  2. Analysis of Large Sets of Textual and Numerical Data

Cooperation with other VPs and cooperating entities

Due to the very strong interdisciplinary link, the VP7 research team cooperates on some specific activities with research teams:

VP9 subtask 1 HA1 – together VP7 and VP 9 develop newly designed tools for liver tissue biopsy with the possibility of radiofrequency treatment of the puncture channel after puncture, with the VP7 team having the role of defining input requirements and boundary conditions, participating in the development of a functional prototype, in vivo testing, while technological development is on VP9

VP9 subtask 4 HA2 – VŠB will deliver the developed SW (VP9) based on FNO parameters, which (VP7) will test the SW in a medical environment

VP9 subtask 4 HA2 – in the development of new SW (VP9), VP7 defines the basic parameters and ensures the testing of the robustness of the algorithm on clinical data

VP6 – together VP6 and VP7 identify molecular changes in tumor cells of patients in resistant/aggressive stages of monoclonal gammopathies and validation and functional characterization of gene mutations


Head of the research program

Foto
MUDr. Štefan Reguli, Ph.D.
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