Cancer is a tough disease and in some cases is difficult to treat, which leads to too many people dying. Of the cancer diagnoses made each year, 3.2 million of these are primary and secondary liver cancer. The world needs to be able to reduce these tragic outcomes and to be able to remove a liver tumor in a more patient-centered way.

Today, resection of the liver is performed through an open operation, which entails a long and more painful recovery process for the patient compared to a keyhole surgery. The reason keyhole surgery is not used in these operations today is because the surgeon lacks sufficient visualization, which makes it difficult to navigate and remove the tumor with high precision. 

Navari Surgical AB is therefore developing a solution that makes it possible to apply keyhole operations for liver cancer by increasing the visualization with Augmented Reality. For the technology to work, a single-use device must be attached to the liver surface and it then acts as a navigation marker in their overall solution. The mission has been to examine and develop a fastener for the single-use device that attaches to the liver and can be removed without damaging the surface. The fastener must also be able to maintain the same position throughout the operation, withstand the moist environment inside the abdomen and comply with the Medical Device Regulations.

After research and several tests, the project was able to result in a working fastener, which is a specific hydrogel. Due to the fact that the hydrogel does not adhere to plastic, it will be attached to the single-use device with medical epoxy and a layer of carbon fiber film. Together, these components make up a complete and functioning product, called Navmark.

Applying keyhole surgery for liver cancer with Navmark and Navari's technology has several advantages. First, together they increase the surgeon's visualization and localization of the tumor, which in turn increases the precision of the operation. Undergoing keyhole surgery, instead of open surgery, also results in fewer complications and shorter recovery time for the patient. By applying Navmark and Navari's technology, it will in the future be possible to carry out keyhole surgery for liver cancer in a minimally invasive and more patient-centered way, which in turn will be able to save lives.