At DeviceTalks West 2024, NMT brought together a cross functional panel of experts in minimally invasive robotic surgery to discuss how early teamwork between academia, startups, and CDMOs fast-track the cutting-edge innovations that are revolutionizing robotic surgery of today. The Nissha Medical Technologies led panel was moderated by Tom Salemi and featured leaders from several of the leading robotic startups that are molding the current landscape of minimally invasive robotic surgery, including EndoQuest Robotics, EndoTheia, Inc. and Virtuoso Surgical.
Panel Details:
· Mike Springer, VP of Emerging Technologies at Nissha Medical Technologies
· Dr. S. Duke Herrell, CEO of Virtuoso Surgical, CMO of EndoTheia, and
Co-Founder of the Vanderbilt Institute in Surgery and Engineering
· Scott Webster, COO of EndoTheia
· Pejman Seyedi, Director of Advanced Visualization at EndoQuest
The discussion highlighted the many challenges each startup faces as they strive to revolutionize minimally invasive transluminal robotic surgery for GI cancer (EndoQuest), bladder cancer (Virtuoso), and kidney stone removal (EndoTheia). While some challenges are unique to each startup, by far and away, the greatest challenges that each company faces are shared across the board. This is where early partnerships shine and can help startups accelerate solutions to some of the most complex challenges they face – like the need for improved visualization, navigation, and miniaturization of imaging and instrumentation.
Dr. Duke Herrell highlighted this idea by sharing several clinical challenges he encounters within urology today, namely the lack of dexterity in endoscopic tools of today which make surgical procedures like en bloc bladder tumor resections extremely difficult, something that Virtuoso Surgical’s technology was created to address.
Another challenge highlighted by Dr. Herrell is that of difficult to treat lower pole kidney stone (LPS) because of the challenges surgeons face while maneuvering conventional instruments in extremely confined spaces. This unmet need and others inspired the creation of EndoTheia, a startup that spun out of Vanderbilt University, with a mission to improve precision in minimally invasive surgery.
EndoTheia‘s steerable sheath technology uses a concentric tube design, enabling precision steering without the need for traditional pull wires allowing for smaller constructs. Examples of which include steerable baskets and lasers that can reach around tight bends to effectively treat previously inaccessible kidney stones.
As surgeries become less invasive, imaging and instrumentation need to shrink to fit tight spaces without losing functionality. EndoTheia’s steerable sheath innovation is extremely real-estate efficient and serves as a versatile platform for steering cameras and instruments in robotic and other minimally invasive surgeries, enabling precise navigation at the smallest of scales.
EndoTheia’s concentric tube steerable sheath technology targeted for applications in Urology, GI, ENT, neurosurgical, cardiovascular, surgical robotics & instrumentation.
While EndoTheia technology addresses the challenge of navigation at the smallest of scales, Scott Webster explained how NMT’s manufacturing and medtech know-how has helped EndoTheia to address other challenges by bridging the gap through an accelerated joint problem-solving paradigm. By teaming up with academic researchers and startups, NMT believes these partnerships can transform breakthrough research into practical, scalable solutions for robotic surgery. This approach allows cutting-edge technology to transition smoothly from lab concepts to real-world applications, ready for commercial use.
Mike Springer built upon this concept by describing joint work that NMT is doing to support EndoQuest Robotics groundbreaking efforts on advanced imaging for their next generation flexible robotic surgical system set to revolutionize the GI surgical landscape.
Pejman Seyedi highlighted how the need for less invasive procedures, like endoluminal and single-incision surgeries, has driven EndoQuest Robotics to push the envelope as to what is possible with respect to imaging in robotic systems. EndoQuest’s flexible robotic system pairs these advancements in imaging with flexible, high-precision instruments. This helps surgeons navigate tight spaces while keeping a clear view of the surgical area and enhances surgeons’ ability to tackle complex procedures.
Driving Innovation to the Operating Room: Collaborative Pathways in Robotic Surgery
Nissha Medical Technologies, a CDMO, is taking a unique approach by partnering across academia and startups to pave the way for new solutions in robotic surgery. By connecting early-stage innovators with manufacturing expertise, these collaborations are helping cutting-edge technologies reach real-world applications faster. As healthcare continues to push toward less invasive, high-precision approaches, these partnerships will be crucial to addressing unmet clinical needs, ensuring that innovative tools make it into surgeons’ hands to improve patient outcomes.
