NEXT Medical Device Innovation Center

Member

Masaru Konishi (Director)
Masaaki Ito, Nobuyoshi Takeshita, Shigekazu Nagashima, Tomonori Yano, Yusuke Yoda, Yuko Tanabe.

Introduction

The NEXT (Center of New Surgical and Endoscopic Development for Exploratory Technology) was founded in the National Cancer Center Hospital East (NCCHE) on May 8, 2017. It provides state-of-the-art medical care to patients and develops medical devices and technologies, especially in surgical and endoscopic fields with the following aims:

• Providing currently available state-of-the-art medical care
• Developing the next-generation medical devices and technologies based on clinical needs
• Introducing the developed medical devices and technologies to clinical practice
• Developing the next generation of leaders in the cancer-care field

The NEXT Medical Device Innovation Center is included in the NEXT, and develops the next-generation medical devices and technologies based on clinical needs.

NEXT FOR DREAM

The NEXT Medical Device Innovation Center conducts research and development activities on innovative medical devices in exploratory technology based on clinical needs in industry-academia-government and medical-engineering collaboration. Especially, it targets instruments and devices used in/around endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery fields.
Our center develops innovative medical devices which can realize dreams from a viewpoint of patients, medical professions, and business. For realizing dreams, our center promotes, supports, and incubates medical device innovation. It promotes the device development in partnership with medical device business, “monozukuri” (manufacturing) companies, academia, and Chiba-area. Furthermore, it supports it in clinical trials, and acts as an advanced incubation facility with providing training of surgeons and sending information.

What We Promote

AI application

The NEXT Medical Device Innovation Center conducts research and development activities focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) application to the medical field. The research and development “Constructing a database of tacit knowledge and its application for surgical device innovation in laparoscopic surgery” was adopted by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) as a funding support program. During the period of this program, through March 2019, our center constructs a new system which digitalizes surgical techniques and judgements, and stores them into the database for the improved efficiency and safety in endoscopic surgery. We aim at application of the data analyzed with deep learning into the development of surgical robots and evaluation of medical devices. We also conduct research on AI application to endoscopic diagnosis.

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  Fig. Database for AI

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  Fig. Automatic detection of early gastric cancer in endoscopic images

• Surgical Robot
  We develop a surgical robot for laparoscopic surgery in collaboration with A-Traction Inc., an official venture company of National Cancer Center. We aim at realizing the robot, which can facilitate the surgery side by side with surgeons.
• Oxygen Saturation Imaging Endoscopy
  We develop a novel endoscopy system “Oxygen Saturation Imaging Endoscopy” in collaboration with FUJI FILM Corporation. We aim at realizing the endoscopy system, which can measure and image the oxygen saturation level in digestive tract, and bring us the prediction of the treatment efficacy.
• Matching Needs to Seeds
  We also promote the development of medical devices by matching the clinical needs with the seeds of technology. A novel transanal tube "WING DRAIN" was developed into a product in collaboration with Muranaka Medical Instruments Co., Ltd.. The "WING DRAIN" was designed to prevent anastomotic leakage after rectal cancer surgery.

 

What We Support

We established a regional cooperation group for surgical innovation with a framework, C-Square, that consisted of Chiba Prefecture, Chiba Industry Advancement Center, Chiba University and the National Cancer Center Hospital. The aim of the activities of C-Square is to realize surgical innovation based on clinical needs through the use of regional industrial technology.
A novel device “Foot-Site Monitor” was developed into a product in collaboration with a regional company, HAYASHI-REPIC Co., Ltd.. The “Foot-Site Monitor” allows simple use of multiple foot pedals in endoscopic surgery.

 

 

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  Fig. Endoscopic image (Left) and oxygen saturation image (Right) for early gastric cancer

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  Fig. Wing Drain

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  Fig. Foot-Site Monitor

 

 

What We Incubate

We hold “Biodesigner professional course” seminars in collaboration with “Japan Biodesign” for developing human resources capable of creating innovative medical devices. We also hold seminars for supporting regional companies in medical device development as part of C-Square’s activities.

Fig. “Biodesigner professional course” seminar: Live surgery (Left), Surgical observation (Middle), Lecture (Right)