Simulations and experimental demonstration of coupling molecular and macroscopic level modalities with a robotic manipulator

Established and emerging molecular and cellular modalities, such as optical imaging and spectroscopy, offer new opportunities for assessing tissue pathophysiology in situ. A challenge with such applications is their limited tissue penetration and low sensitivity that can be addressed with trans-needle or trans-catheter access. In this work, we describe the use of an actuated manipulator to physically manipulate such sensors to scan an area of interest generating 1-D scans while registering them to a guiding modality. Simulations were performed for a miniature RF coil to determine the voxel size, and experimental studies were conducted using a miniature RF coil manipulated by the MR-compatible device. The experimental results on phantom studies show that potential diagnostic information can be collected by using this methodology. This system was pursued to address a critical limitation of emerging molecular and near-cellular modalities; the limited tissue penetration.