about

where engineering meets neurosurgery

In 2015, the Brain Tool Laboratory was established by Dr. Patrick Codd as a collaboration between the Department of Neurosurgery and the Pratt School of Engineering. Since that time, engineers and neurosurgeons have worked together to tackle some of the most difficult problems facing the surgical community. Fostering a true atmosphere of collaboration, the Brain Tool Laboratory is in a unique position to bring about significant change to the field of surgical robotics.

Through a careful examination of surgical operations, researchers approach each problem by stripping away the physical and mental constraints imposed by decades of traditional surgical methodology. In this manner, the Brain Tool Laboratory is able to advance the field of surgical robotics while keeping patient benefit and overall device value as its highest priorities.

Help Support our Mission!

Dr. Codd and our team of engineers are very thankful for the support and donations that help keep our research in motion and our focus on producing technologies that will continue to improve the capabilities of surgeons to delivery the best possible care for their patients.
[Direct to BTL Donation Portal]

People

Fielding the strongest team in translational surgical robotics research

Dr. Patrick Codd, M.D.

Lab Director
Neurosurgery Faculty
patrick.codd [at] dm.duke.edu

Linkedin link

Dr. Codd is the Director of the Brain Tool Laboratory and an Assistant Professor at Duke University. Nearly a decade of surgical achievements and a strong passion for technology have given him a keen understanding of the relationship between engineering and neurosurgery. – bio

Wes Ross, PhD.

Post Doc
Lab Manager
weston.ross[at]
duke.edu

Linkedin link

If in doubt, hire a Wes. A critical thinker and always excited about the work at hand, Weston is an integral part of the BTL and his influence stretches far beyond his role of leading the laser-tissue interaction research for the TumorCNC.

Matt Tucker

Engineer
Graduate Student
matthew.b.tucker[at] duke.edu

Linkedin link

Matt is a PhD student working on a variety of projects ranging from the creation of a non-contact cancer diagnostic tool based on fluorescence spectroscopy to the development of a solid tissue phantom used to further develop the automated tumor resection device (TumorCNC).

Ian Hill

Engineer
Graduate Student
ian.hill160[at]
duke.edu

Ian is a Ph.D. student primarily working on a device to track surgical instruments, but his hands-on affinity for mechanical design and development make him an asset to every project at the lab.

Guangshen Ma

Engineer
Graduate Student
guangshen.ma[at] duke.edu

Guangshen is pursuing a PhD Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Guangshen is working on a method to register three-dimensional surface scans to MR images.

Suzanna Joseph

Researcher
Undergraduate
suzanna.joseph[at]
duke.edu

Suzanna is an undergraduate studying Neuroscience at Duke University. Suzanna is aiding in the development of an intraoperative cancer diagnostic device. Suzanna helps to designs experiments that elucidate the capabilities of the device.

John Wahlstedt

Researcher
Undergraduate
john.wahlstedt[at]
duke.edu

John is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering. John is aiding in the development of an OR instrument tracking system. Specifically, John assists with the rapid prototyping of key designs.

Dr. Shervin Rahimpour

Researcher
Neurosurgery Resident
shervin.rahimpour[at]
duke.edu

Dr. Rahimpour is a Neurosurgery resident. With a research background in chemical physics and mathematics his primary clinical interests are in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery

Dr. Andrew Cutler

Researcher
Neurosurgery Resident
andrew.cutler[at]duke.edu

Linkedin link

Dr. Cutler is a Duke Neurosurgery resident. He strives to push the envelope of Neurosurgery through his background in mechanical and bioengineering. He believes the best solutions happen through collaboration.

Dr. Kelly Murphy

Researcher
Neurosurgery Resident
kelly.murphy[at]
duke.edu

Kelly is a Neurosurgery resident at Duke University. Kelly is assisting in the development of an intraoperative cancer diagnostic device.

Lab Alumni

Ju Kim

Researcher
Undergraduate
ju.kim[at]
duke.edu

Ju is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering. Ju is helping to develop automated technologies that will be used in the Dermatology space.

Iris Chang

Researcher
Undergraduate Student
iris.chang[at]
duke.edu

Iris is an undergraduate at Duke studying Mechanical Engineering. She is excited to see and work on the application of engineering in neurosurgery and hopes to contribute to several hands-on projects in BTL.

Shan McBurney-Lin

Researcher
Medical Student
shan.mcburney.lin[at]
duke.edu

Shan is a medical student at Duke University. Shan assisting in the development of an OR instrument tracking system.

Catherine Wallace

Researcher
Medical Student
catwallace[at]
augusta.edu

Catherine (Cat) is a medical student at the Medical College of Georgia. Catherine is assisting in the development of optically tunable solid tissue phantoms.

Dylan Crocker

Engineer
Graduate Student
dylan.crocker[at]duke.edu

Dylan is pursuing an MS in Mechanical Engineering and is developing a novel intracranial flow-diverting stent delivery system to improve occlusion rates of aneurysms by improving the accuracy of stent graft placement in endovascular neurosurgery.

Narendran Narasimhan

Researcher
Undergraduate Student
narendran.narasimhan[at]
duke.edu

Naren is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering and is currently working on the optical design for a mobile, automated tumor resection device (TumorCNC).

Wes Hill

Engineer
Graduate Student
westin.hill [at] duke.edu

Linkedin link

After spending three years working among the brightest minds in defense, Wes was recruited to the BTL from MIT Lincoln Laboratory. He is an extremely versatile engineer, capable of crossing any number of subject fields in search of the best solution.

David Britton

IP Attorney
dbritton@foley.com

Linkedin link

More information about David can be found at: https://www.foley.com/david-p-britton/

Dr. Kimberly Hoang

Researcher
Neurosurgeon
kimberly.hoang [at] dm.duke.edu

Linkedin link

Her comprehensive knowledge of neurosurgical operations is complemented by a contagious energy and strong aptitude for engineering. Simply put, the team would be lost without her. – bio

Eamon Bracht

Researcher
Undergraduate Student
ebracht2[at]
illinois.edu

Eamon is majoring in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Eamon is working to off-board the automated tumor resection device (TumorCNC) to a mobile cart that can be used in the operating room.

Sreekar Mantena

Researcher
Undergraduate
mantena18s[at] ncssm.edu

Sreekar is passionate about leveraging emerging technologies to make a difference in the field of healthcare, and is a robotics enthusiast.

Neil Cornwell

Researcher
Undergraduate Student
ncornwe[at]
ncsu.edu

Neil is a Biomedical Engineering student from North Carolina State University assisting in the development of the automated tumor resection device (TumorCNC).

Dr. Avra Laarakker

Researcher
Neurosurgery Research
avra.laarakker[at]
duke.edu

Lefko Charalambous

Researcher
Medical Student
lefko.charalambous[at]
duke.edu

Lefko is a medical student at Duke University.

Current Research

Laser and Imaging in Dermatology Surgery

Many of the engineering methods and tools developed for neurosurgical applications are applicable in other disciplines, including dermatology. Combining advanced intraoperative imaging, surgical planning, and laser guidance allow for precise treatment of dermatological ailments, whether it be a regrettable tattoo or a more serious condition such as skin cancer. Our team is collaborating with BME Read more about Laser and Imaging in Dermatology Surgery[…]

Neurosurgical Hololens Adaptation

Two ambitious surgical residents recently had a proposal for the HoloLens Development Kit accepted by Microsoft. This success inspired a collaboration with Dr. Regis Kopper in the Duke Immersive Virtual Environment. Together, our team is exploring new applications for augmented reality in neurosurgery – stay posted for updates. Congratulations to Shervin Rahimpour and Andrew Cutler for a Read more about Neurosurgical Hololens Adaptation[…]

A Device for Nonlinear Surgical Access

Decades of using rigid tooling has trained surgeons to plan for the linear surgical approach. Our team is attempting to provide alternatives to surgeons such that they can comfortably take the less-invasive, nonlinear trajectory. Based on Dr. Codd’s experience in concentric tube robotics, we have set the ventricles as our design space with the overall goal Read more about A Device for Nonlinear Surgical Access[…]

Automated Tumor Resection

A rift is opening between a surgeon’s improving ability to perceive minute details through increasingly-higher-resolution imaging modalities and the relatively-unchanging accuracy of delivering surgical action. In order to take advantage of small-scale perception, advances in instrumentation must allow for tissue removal at similar levels of precision. Consequently, laser technology has begun to make inroads into Read more about Automated Tumor Resection[…]

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