Hamilton robot treats cancer

A Hamilton-made robot that can both detect and treat breast cancer is getting closer to clinical testing.

Dr. Mehran Anvari says testing of the machine could begin early next year.

The image-guided autonomous robot, or IGAR, works with a magnetic resonance imaging machine.

When a lump is detected, the robot performs a precise biopsy to determine if the lump is benign or cancerous.

If the lump is cancerous, the robot can destroy the tumour at the same time.

The primary benefit is that patients can get scanned, diagnosed and treated all in a single procedure.

If the clinical trials are successful, Dr. Anvari says he hopes the robot will be built in Hamilton.