Rad

Radiation Therapy Treatment Chair

 

Member profile details

Membership level
2012-2013 Team
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Team Name
Rad
Project Title
Radiation Therapy Treatment Chair
Design Challenge
The current standard of care for patients receiving radiation therapy requires that patients get their treatments in a supine position. However, there is a significant subset of patients, such as those with compromised lung function or Hodgkin's Lymphoma, that would benefit from being able to receive this same treatment in an upright position. Team Rad has accepted the challenge to develop a positioning device that allows patients to sit upright while still maintaining the same effectiveness and safety of the current supine positioning method. This device has the potential to minimize the risk of secondary cancer, present radiation conditions that are more easily tolerated, alleviate safety concerns, and reduce treatment side effects.
Design Summary
Our most recent prototype incorporates the ergonomics of a massage chair with the current set-up of radiation treatment facilities. The subjects are positioned in an inclined-prone state on our device, which is slid onto the edge of the treatment bench. This design allows for extremely precise positioning of patients to ensure the consistent line-up of the radiation beam and the tumor, in addition to providing the structural support necessary to ensure the safety of cancer patients. With further modifications and additions, we believe that this design can make radiation therapy much more accessible and safe for thousands of people with cancer.

Future Work:
Our device is now at MD Anderson, where it is being tested by radiologists and other professionals in the field. This testing will elucidate changes that need to be made for version 2 of our design. After the necessary modifications, there will be further testing on healthy subjects and also on patients. If all is well at that stage, then our device will be put into clinical trials. After passing all of the tests, our device will be used in practice, allowing patients to get radiation therapy in an upright position.
Sponsors
MD Anderson
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Department(s)
  • Bioengineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
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Faculty Advisor 1 - Name
Dr. Wettergreen
Faculty Advisor 2 - Name
Dr. Oden
 

Team Members

Contact us

Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen
Rice University

6100 Main Street MS 390 | Houston, Texas | 77005

Phone: 713.348.OEDK

Email: oedk@rice.edu

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