Source: Medical Device Frontline

On March 7, 2024, AcuSurgical, the company that developed Luca™, the world's first dual-arm ophthalmic surgical robot,Announced the completion of the first clinical case, with the surgery successfully performed by Dr. Fanny Nerinckx at Ghent University Hospital in Belgium.

It is reported that the ophthalmic surgical robot named Luca™ has improved surgical precision by 20 times.By enhancing surgeons' dexterity, it provides a game-changing new therapy for retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Retinal diseases affect a wide range, with approximately 300 million patients globally, among which one-third of the population in the United States and Europe will face this disease in their lifetime.

Retinal surgery is one of the most delicate and complex procedures in ophthalmology, requiring surgical manipulation of structures as fine as a fraction of a hair's width. The main challenges lie in:

• Insufficient spatial resolution and depth perception of the target microstructure;

• Due to physiological hand tremors, imprecise movements during tissue micromanipulation can reach up to 100 micrometers, while ophthalmic surgeries often require membrane peeling within 15 to 20 micrometers.

• Lack of force feedback, as the motion required for manipulation is below the surgeon's sensory threshold. The challenge of retinal microsurgery is further exacerbated by the potential for patient movement during the procedure, leading to a higher risk of complications.

• Finally, the poor ergonomic design of surgical microscopes may increase the risk of back and neck injuries for ophthalmologists and further increase the difficulty of hand-eye coordination.

Through remote control, AcuSurgical's Luca™ ophthalmic surgical robot can filter tremors and maintain the instrument in a predefined position for an extended period. It also enhances the visualization of the surgery while keeping full control in the hands of the surgeon.

The first clinical case was performed by advanced vitreoretinal surgeon Dr. Fanny Nerinckx, who shared her experience: "I performed the surgery with a dual-arm robotic device. The AcuSurgical robot provided unparalleled control and precision. This technology represents a significant leap forward for our specialty and offers new surgical possibilities for treating our patients."

AcuSurgical CEO Christoph Spuhler said, "We are thrilled to have effectively and safely treated a patient today using our new technology. Luca paves the way for utilizing cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and enhanced visualization to elevate retinal surgery, and will bring forth an entirely new set of revolutionary treatments for retinal diseases."Looking ahead, we plan to complete clinical research registration to support our robot's future regulatory registration in Europe and the United States."

AcuSurgical, founded in 2020 in Montpellier, France, is a company specializing in robotic microsurgery applied to ophthalmology.

AcuSurgical CEO and founder Christoph Spuhler has built an elite team. The company's co-founders include two robotics professors from LIRMM, Professor Yassine Haddab and Professor Philippe Poignet, as well as two retinal surgeons from Saint-Etienne University Hospital, Philippe Gain and Gilles Thuret. The company's joint research unit is the renowned robotics institute LIRMM (Laboratory of Informatics, Robotics, and Microelectronics of Montpellier, France).

After the company was established, its first ophthalmic surgical robot prototype quickly achieved proof of concept and was validated in a preclinical environment.Subsequently, in 21 years, completed a 5.75 million euro Series A financing round,This round of financing was led by Mérieux Equity Partners (through OMX Europe Venture Fund) and Supernova Invest (through Supernova 2 Fund), with participation from Sofimac Innovation (through Pertinence Invest 2 Fund) and IRDI Capital Investissement (through Irdinov 2 and Inn'Vest PME Occitanie Est Funds).

AcuSurgical's mission is to provide top-tier treatment for over 300 million patients worldwide suffering from retinal diseases, debilitating conditions that include age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and macular holes.Currently, 1.6 million retinal surgeries are performed worldwide each year, with an annual growth rate of 7%.

And this only accounts for the actualA small proportion of international cases, the majority of patients, especially those in developing countries, do not receive adequate treatment, or often no treatment at all. AcuSurgical's cutting-edge robotic platform aims to change this, bringing a new surgical paradigm to vitreoretinal surgery based on precision robotics.

China has nearly 40 million patients with fundus diseases, making it the country with the largest number of eye disease patients globally. This figure continues to rise annually against the backdrop of China's increasingly aging population. In the future, ophthalmic surgical robots will also have enormous development potential in China. Going forward, what other ophthalmic surgical robots will emerge remains to be closely monitored by the medical device front-line.

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