IP Requirement: Emory IP

Experience Requirement:

– Mechanical Design

– Potentially Electronics

– Rapid Prototyping

Bone marrow biopsies are required for the diagnosis of multiple hematologic conditions, such as blood cancers or bone marrow failure syndromes. Over 10,000 bone marrow biopsies are performed annually, and often patients with blood cancers require multiple bone marrow biopsies throughout their treatment course. Currently, the majority of bone marrow biopsies are performed at the posterior ilium (hip bone), and the determination of the site for the bone marrow biopsy is done by manual palpation.

Although the rate of bone marrow biopsy complications is low (<1%), using manual palpation to determine the bone marrow biopsy site is suboptimal. The clinician will typically use their hands to palpate anatomic landmarks to determine the bone marrow biopsy site, but this method is imprecise and often difficult to determine in people who are obese. If the clinician picks the incorrect site, this can lead to bleeding, pain, and prolonged procedure time. Most bone marrow biopsies are performed using this manual palpation method, and while a bone marrow biopsy can be performed under CT-guidance or ultrasound guidance, this adds additional costs and potential radiation exposure.

The development of a portable, low-cost tool that does not use X-ray technology and can accurately determine the location of the iliac bone in different body types is needed. This would reduce bone marrow biopsy procedure times, reduce risk of complications, and increase clinician confidence in the procedure by knowing they are performing the biopsy in the correct location.