This is not the usual story of a technology that promises miracles. It is the concrete reality of how an object the size of a coin will be able to save thousands of lives. A small magnetic robot that moves sinuously inside our colon, taking three-dimensional photographs so detailed that even the smallest cellular anomalies are visible. The virtual biopsy, developed by a team of engineers at the University of Leeds, is one of those rare moments when we can truly say that medicine has made a step forward.
What fascinates me about this innovation is not only the technology itself, but how the solution to a seemingly insoluble problem came from a little-known geometric shape: the oloid. You know what a holoide is, right? I'll tell you.
The shape that changed everything
Two intersecting perpendicular circles, this is the shape of a holoid, gave the robot a movement capability previously considered impossible for magnetic robotics.
Yes, indeed: a virtually unknown geometric figure could revolutionize cancer diagnosis, providing the key to overcoming a fundamental limitation of magnetic robotics: the impossibility of rolling an object using only external magnetic fields.
Nikita Greenedge, researcher at the STORM laboratory of theUniversity of Leeds and lead author of the study that I link to you here had the intuition to use this particular shape for their magnetic endoscope. The result is a device just 21 millimeters in diameter (about the size of a 1 cent coin) capable of moving with precision within the gastrointestinal tract.
For the first time, this research allows us to reconstruct a 3D ultrasound image taken from a probe deep inside the intestine, something that has never been done before.
Words of Peter Valdastri, professor and director of the STORM laboratory, who coordinated the project.
Virtual Biopsy: Instant Diagnoses, Anxiety Eliminated
Anyone who has ever waited for the results of a biopsy knows how excruciating those days (or weeks) of waiting can be. The current process of diagnosing colorectal cancer requires taking a tissue sample, which is then sent to a laboratory, with results taking one to three weeks to arrive.
Virtual biopsy completely eliminates this waiting. The device contains a high frequency ultrasonic microprobe (28 MHz) and creates a high-resolution three-dimensional reconstruction of the examined area. From this virtual reconstruction, doctors can generate cross-sectional images that mimic those produced by a standard biopsy.
I am particularly struck by the practical difference this makes in patients' lives: in a single procedure, doctors can detect and potentially treat lesions, eliminating the need for physical biopsies and dramatically reducing the anxiety of waiting.
The impact on public health
Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, but if detected early it is highly treatable. This technology could be a game-changer.
Collaboration between engineers, scientists and clinicians of theUniversity of Leeds,University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh has enabled us to integrate different skills to create something truly innovative. Leeds led the robotic development and probe integration, while Glasgow and Edinburgh provided the ultrasound probe and led the imaging component.
Sandy Cochran, professor of the Center for Medical and Industrial Ultrasound of theUniversity of Glasgow, highlights an often overlooked aspect: ultrasound imaging is safe, affordable, and can be used exactly where needed. This combination of affordability and precision could democratize early cancer detection.
Virtual Biopsy: The Future Is Closer Than We Think
Human trials will begin as early as 2026, as the Leeds platform for robotic colonoscopy (without ultrasound capabilities) is already in human trials.
Not surprisingly, this technology could help address gender disparities in colonoscopies, as standard flexible endoscope procedures tend to be more challenging for women, leading to higher rates of incomplete procedures.
I wonder what other areas of medicine could be transformed by the application of seemingly simple mathematical principles like geometry. Sometimes the most elegant solutions to the most complex problems are hidden right under our noses, or in this case, in a form that very few people have ever known about.
