PhD Defense: Milica Bulatović Lays Foundation for Dynamic Tumor Ablation Treatment

In her thesis, Milica addressed the limitations of current thermal ablation technology by introducing a patient-specific dynamic energy delivery model capable of configuring thermal ablation volumes to tumors of arbitrary shapes. Thermal ablation — the destruction of biological tissue using extreme heat or cold — is a widely accepted minimally invasive treatment modality for malignant tumors. Although effective, only selected patients suffering from small, conveniently located spherical tumors benefit from this technology. In contrast, in cases of irregularly shaped and critically located tumors, the effectiveness of the treatment is not guaranteed.

To address this challenge, Milica hypothesized that an ablation shape can be configured to a tumor of arbitrary shape and size in a repeatable manner, using a novel thermal ablation model for dynamic energy delivery. In her work, she developed this model, investigated its clinical applicability through potential use cases, and conducted validation experiments in tissue-mimicking samples. To do so, Milica built an experimental prototype including a robotic arm, an ablation system, a decision support system, and a tissue-mimicking model.

Experimental findings demonstrated the feasibility and the repeatability of the proposed ablation model. With this work, Milica laid the foundation for clinical translation, with the potential to improve the applicability and the effectiveness of thermal ablation treatment beyond its recommended guidelines.

Congratulations to Dr. Milica Bulatović on this incredible achievement and advancing thermal ablation toward more effective treatment of complex tumor cases!

Publications:

Bulatović, Milica; Hermann, Jan; Tinguely, Pascale; Paolucci, Iwan; Weber, Stefan (2024). Configuring thermal ablation volumes for treatment of distinct tumor shapes: a repeatability study using a robotic approach. Frontiers in Oncology 14:1462686. Frontiers Media 10.3389/fonc.2024.1463686

Paolucci, Iwan; Bulatović, Milica; Weber, Stefan; Tinguely, Pascale (2023). Thermal ablation with configurable shapes: a comprehensive, automated model for bespoke tumor treatment. European Radiology Experimental 7(1):67. Springer 10.1186/s41747-023-00381-6