The University of Eastern Finland (UEF) in conjunction with Kuopio University Hospital (KUH) received ethical permission for the real-time clinical examination of Mid-Infrared (MIR) arthroscopy device developing by MIRACLE project.

The in vivo clinical trials with MIR device are planned to start in Spring 2021 at Kuopio University Hospital.

The goal of MIRACLE project is to develop Mid-Infrared arthroscopy system for real-time diagnosis of degenerative joint diseases. One of the important steps in the development of the system is the device testing in clinical trials.

In the first phase, the MIRACLE device will be tested on cadaveric donors. Adult cadaveric donors of various ages will be recruited for clinical demonstration (ex-vivo).

In the second phase of the clinical study, the MIRACLE prototype will be tested on volunteers, who are selected from patients undergoing standard arthroscopy procedure at Kuopio University Hospital.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the properties of joint tissue objectively and quantitatively. An easy-to-use, label-free and quantitative means to examine articular cartilage biochemical composition during arthroscopy surgery would be of high value to assist orthopedic surgeons in diagnosing osteoarthritis (OA), facilitating the intraoperative decision-making and improving the patient’s prospect. MIRACLE diagnostics device will provide accurate information on the molecular (bio)chemical composition of articular cartilage. Such advanced diagnostic methodology can be anticipated to improve early OA diagnosis and post-traumatic assessment of tissues with better accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility compared to currently applied methods.

Feature image author – @peoplecreations