[Photo courtesy of CMR Surgical]
CMR Surgical
Cambridge, U.K.–based CMR Surgical led all medical device developers in last year’s VC fundraising tally, bringing in $600 million to expand the commercialization of its Versius robot.
Versius is a relatively compact robotic surgery platform for portability and use in small operating rooms. The robot’s arms are designed to replicate the mechanics of a human arm for dexterity and flexibility, and the system’s modular design allows surgeons to only use as many robotic arms as needed for a particular procedure.
The robot has been used in more than 5,000 surgeries worldwide, covering routine and complex procedures across the fields of gynecology, colorectal surgery, thoracic surgery, general surgery and urology.
“5,000 cases is an important milestone for us at CMR,” CMR Surgical CEO Per Vegard Nerseth said in a news release. “We set out to transform surgery for patients, and we truly believe we are doing that as we expand into new countries and partner with more and more hospitals and surgeons around the world.”
Founded in 2014, CMR Surgical more recently announced surgical training support partnerships with telementoring companies Teladoc Health and SurgEase Innovations. Surgical instructors will be able to provide real-time, remote guidance and technical assistance during surgical procedures.
With Intuitive Surgical dominating the robotic surgery space — and medtech giants such as Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson and Stryker fighting for a piece of the action — still keep an eye on medical device startups such as CMR Surgical in the months and years ahead.
