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PRONOBIS

Innovative robotic prostate biopsy system: A solution to the challenges of modern diagnostics

Zdravstveni sustavi diljem Europe, uključujući Hrvatsku, suočavaju se s velikim izazovima u dijagnostici i liječenju raka prostate – jedne od najčešćih malignih bolesti kod muškaraca. Rastuća potreba za pravodobnim i točnim dijagnostičkim postupcima, uz sve izraženiji nedostatak liječnika specijalista, stvara značajan pritisak na održivost i učinkovitost zdravstvene skrbi.

The answer to this challenge is a project aimed at development collaborative and intelligent robotically assisted prostate biopsy system, which uses the latest advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning algorithms. The project aims to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and safety of the diagnostic process, while reducing the burden on doctors and enabling faster and more reliable diagnoses for patients.

The project brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (FSB), the Faculty of Medicine (MEF), and the company Ronna Medical. Together, they conduct targeted research and develop technological solutions that respond to the current needs of the healthcare system, while respecting all regulatory and ethical standards.

Project description

Kod projekta: NPOO.C3.2.R3-I1.04.0181
Implementation period: 01.07.2024. – 30.6.2026.
Total project amount: 1.536.550,52 EUR
EU sufinanciranje projekta: 1.400.442,38 EUR
Project coordinator: Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Fakultet strojarstva i brodogradnje
Partneri: RONNA MEDICAL d.o.o. i Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Medicinski fakultet

Key features

  • Laboratory prototype development for robot-assisted biopsy, which will enable precise targeting of suspicious zones in the prostate
  • Integration of advanced imaging technologies such as micro transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and PET-CT with PSMA tracer for superior procedure planning
  • Optimization of the biopsy procedure to be performed under local anesthesia, reducing the need for an operating theater and general anesthesia
  • Robotics with partial autonomy, under the supervision and cooperation of a doctor, ensures safety, precision and flexibility
  • Development of algorithms for motion compensation and real-time guidance, based on force and vision sensors

Members

Project impact

  • Reducing problems overdiagnosis and treatment through a highly targeted and personalized biopsy approach
  • Increase availability and diagnostic capacity in healthcare, especially in environments facing a shortage of specialists
  • Compliance with the European Commission's recommendations on development national screening programs for prostate cancer
  • Positioning Croatia as a leader in the development of medical robotic technologies in the field of urology.

This project has the potential to significantly improve the way prostate cancer is diagnosed and thus contribute to global progress in the field of medical robotics. A functional prototype will be tested and validated in a laboratory environment, which will form the basis for future clinical application.

Prostate cancer represents one of the greatest challenges of modern medicine – it is the fourth most common malignant disease in the world with more than 1.4 million new cases and around 375,000 deaths per yearCroatia, with its 2,800 newly discovered cases and around 800 deaths annually, unfortunately it ranks high at 5th place in Europe in terms of mortality rate.

Given these figures, it becomes clear that they are needed innovative, scalable and precise solutions to improve early diagnosis and treatment, and this is precisely the challenge that the project responds to PRONOBIS.

Gallery

Key challenges

  • Lack of specialist doctors and lengthy training of surgeons
  • Uneven accuracy of biopsies due to variation in physician skill
  • High rates of overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment
  • Increased number of biopsy samples for better diagnostics, but with the risk of greater morbidity
  • Lack of experience with the increasingly common transperineal approach

  • Inadequate compensation of body and tissue movements
  • Limited compatibility of existing software with modern imaging methods (e.g. micro-ultrasound, PSMA PET-CT)
  • Regulatory barriers to the application of collaborative medical robots
  • The need for precise real-time 3D mapping and segmentation of the prostate

Decision

PRONOBIS is a multidisciplinary research and development project that develops a robot-assisted prostate biopsy system, integrated with advanced software solutions and intelligent algorithms to optimize the entire procedure.

Goals

  • Development of a laboratory prototype that enables prostate biopsy under local anesthesia, reducing costs and risks for patients
  • Implementation of precise software systems for real-time navigation and motion compensation
  • Improving personalized lesion targeting and accurate sampling for early and reliable diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer
  • Reducing overall diagnostic costs through greater accuracy, fewer samples, and reduced morbidity

Technological and research innovations

The project benefits:

  • Marker and markerless methods of patient localization for greater positioning accuracy
  • Sophisticated methods of ultrasound probe guidance, including automated scanning and spatial tissue analysis
  • Development of real-time digital model of the patient which allows for precise orientation of instruments and adaptation of robotics to individual anatomy

All functional elements will be tested and validated within controlled laboratory
environment, ensuring safety, robustness and readiness for future clinical application.

Who does the project benefit?

  • Healthcare institutions – cost reduction and the possibility of performing a biopsy outside the operating room
  • Urologists – faster education and greater precision with a shorter duration of procedures
  • Medical equipment manufacturers - development of market competitive and innovative devices
  • Patients – less invasive, safer and more effective procedures, with better overall treatment outcomes

Wider importance and influence

PRONOBIS does not only represent progress in biopsy technology - it symbolizes a paradigm shift in medical robotics in diagnostics. The project combines human expertise and robotic precision, placing the patient at the center of the innovation process.

  • Technical progress: increased autonomy, safety and efficiency of biopsy
  • Research impact: database and knowledge development in medical robotics
  • Social and economic impact: reduced healthcare costs, faster diagnostics, better patient outcomes

Conclusion

PRONOBIS is more than a research project - it is a vision of the future of prostate cancer diagnostics, aimed at solving the concrete problems of today through smart, safe and sustainable technology. The project brings together top scientists, engineers and clinicians with the goal of creating solutions that will have international impact and domestic value.

The project is being carried out in collaboration with Ministry of Science and Education and Croatian Science Foundation, and is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

The project was co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund
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