Junichi Tokuda
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, The University of Tokyo
Papers
39
Total Citations
1,370
H-Index
21
About
Junichi Tokuda is a pioneering biomedical engineer whose research sits at the intersection of medical robotics, MRI-guided intervention, and surgical navigation systems. Working primarily within the domain of minimally invasive urology and oncology, Tokuda has dedicated his career to solving one of interventional medicine's most demanding technical challenges: enabling precise, robot-assisted needle placement inside the confined and electromagnetically hostile environment of an MRI scanner. His most celebrated contribution — an MRI-compatible pneumatic robot for transperineal prostate needle placement (2008, 290 citations) — demonstrated that robotic systems could be engineered to function safely within high-field MRI environments, unlocking real-time, high-resolution soft-tissue imaging as a guide for prostate cancer interventions. Subsequent work expanded this foundation through fully actuated robotic platforms, parallel manipulator designs, remote-center-of-motion controllers, and integrated navigation software, collectively accumulating hundreds of additional citations. Tokuda further extended his methods to liver interventions, broadening the clinical reach of MRI-guided robotics beyond urology. Spanning preclinical feasibility studies through clinical trials involving nearly 100 patients, his research traces a rigorous translational arc from laboratory prototype to bedside system, making him one of the most influential figures in image-guided surgical robotics.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1MRI-Compatible Pneumatic Robot for Transperineal Prostate Needle Placement290 citations · 2008
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- 9MRI‐compatible manipulator with remote‐center‐of‐motion control43 citations · 2008
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