IG-RABIT

Image-Guided, Robot-Assisted, Biomechanically-Informed Osteotomy and Surgical Implants for Orthopaedic Oncology

Using established “surgineering” principles, this research project will develop personalized surgical implants to treat patients with spinal, sacral and pelvic tumors. The devices will be designed using advanced engineering and implanted using image-guided robotic assistance. The project will leverage engineering and surgical expertise from UT Austin and MD Anderson to create an integrated system that has the potential to be used in a variety of clinical settings.

The project has four main pillars:

  • Use computational modeling and automatic surgical planning for spine and pelvic tumor surgery
  • Develop mechanobiology-informed, patient-specific biomaterials and implants for optimal biomechanical integrity and biological integration
  • Develop surgical robotics and image guidance for placement of surgical implants in the complex context of spine and pelvic tumor surgery
  • Integration and testing of a system for image-guided, robot-assisted placement of implants in preclinical studies to evidence performance gains and establish a basis for translation to clinical studies

This project will form the foundation for future collaboration and translational research and innovation in engineering and surgery between the institutions in The University of Texas at Austin Medical Center.

 

Team Members

MD Anderson

Jeffrey Siewerdsen, Professor
Imaging Physics

Justin Bird, Associate Professor
Orthopaedic Oncology

Kristy Brock, Professor
Imaging Physics

Ke Li, Associate Professor
Imaging Physics

Shalin Patel, Assistant Professor
Orthopaedic Oncology

UT Austin

Farshid Alambeigi, Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering

Edward Castillo, Associate Professor
Biomedical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering

Elizabeth Cosgriff-Hernandez, Professor
Biomedical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering

Omar Ghattas, Professor
Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering

Alex Haynes, Associate Professor
Surgery and Perioperative Care, Dell Medical School

David Leigh, Director of the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Design Innovation
Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering

Maryam Tilton, Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering

Matthew Wallace, Assistant Professor
Surgery and Perioperative Care, Dell Medical School

 

News

Three people stand in front of a large screen displaying various scientific and mathematical visualizations. The screen shows multiple graphs, charts, and images with color-coded data, including heat maps and 3D models. The figures are silhouetted against the brightly lit display.

March 25, 2025

UT Austin and MD Anderson Launch Joint Initiative to Advance Breakthroughs in Cancer Research

The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have launched a joint initiative, the Collaborative Accelerator for Transformative Research Endeavors, to enable groundbreaking research projects that align complementary strengths to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survival.