Global medical robotics centre will reshape future of diagnosis and treatment

Imperial is joining a new medical robotics research centre with three top global universities.

The Multi-scale Medical Robotics Centre (MRC) will see Imperial deepen ties with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), ETH Zurich and Johns Hopkins University.

The Centre, based at CUHK, aims to develop effective and accessible imaging and robotic technologies that will reshape the future of medical diagnosis and treatment of diseases in multiple specialties, and ultimately, improve the quality of life of patients.

Professor Guang-Zhong Yang CBE, Director of Imperial’s Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery was joined by The Hon Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and representatives from the other institutions at the signing of the new partnership at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Mrs Lam, who visited Imperial in 2017, said: “With the coming together of these four prestigious universities, and their world-class robotics expertise, I’m confident the planned Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Centre’s research will advance the diagnosis and treatment of multiple medical specialties.”

The planned MRC will conduct three major research programmes:

• Endoluminal Multiscale Robotic Platforms for Diagnostics and Therapeutics
• Magnetic-guided Endoluminal Robotic Platform
• Image-guided Robotic Interventions

The MRC will cover a wide range of specialties in medicine, including gastrointestinal endoscopy and surgery; cardiovascular and cardiac surgery; ear, nose and throat; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology; orthopaedics; thoracic; and urology.

CUHK is working with Imperial to develop the Robotic Endoscopic Platform for Performance of Advanced Endoluminal Surgery, which is proved to be able to perform gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection in preclinical study.