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Boston Scientific: Endoluminal, full thickness tumor resection device

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The goal of this project is to design an endoscopic full-thickness resection device (EFTR) that will remove stage III and stage IV tumors from the colon, while connecting surrounding tissue to close the colon wall.

Project Overview

Later stages of colorectal cancer result in tumor development deeper into the tissue of the gastrointestinal wall. As tumors penetrate deeper layers of the colon, their removal by traditional methods becomes increasingly difficult, and more advanced tumors increase rates of mortality and recurrence. If left untreated, a patient has a 65% chance of survival one year from its onset, and a 25% chance after two years due to the increasing risk of metastasis. In order to reduce cancer mortality by up to 50%, tumor removal is necessary. With the rise of minimally invasive surgery, it is of interest to pursue a tumor removal procedure that can be done endoscopically. Since competing designs are still mainly tested on animal models in preclinical trials, a clear solution has yet to be widely available. Thus the client, Carl Parent, has asked us to address this market need by designing an endoscopic full-thickness resection device (EFTR) that will remove stage III and stage IV tumors from the colon, while connecting surrounding tissue to close the colon wall.

Team Picture

Team picture at preliminary presentations: Maggie A, Maddie J, Kennedy K, Jason H, Zach O, Lexi B
Team picture at preliminary presentations: Maggie A, Maddie J, Kennedy K, Jason H, Zach O, Lexi B

Contact Information

Team Members

  • Jason Hahn - Co-Team Leader
  • Zachary Oppenheim - Co-Team Leader
  • Maggie Anderson - Communicator
  • Alexis Block - BSAC
  • Kennedy Kruse - BWIG
  • Madeline Johnson - BPAG

Advisor and Client

  • Prof. Paul Campagnola - Advisor
  • Carl Parent - Client
  • Allie Levin - Alternate Contact
  • Frank Deguire - Alternate Contact
  • Ms. Lisa Shoemaker - Alternate Contact

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