Johnson & Johnson Launches MONARCH QUEST Robotic Platform with FDA Clearance for AI-Enhanced Bronchoscopy

Mar 13, 2025 20:01 CST Updated 20:01

Johnson & Johnson

Medical Device R&D and Manufacturer

Johnson & Johnson announced itsNew Breakthrough in Soft-Tissue Surgical Robots---MONARCH QUESTApproved by the FDA for marketing.MONARCH QUEST Equipped with Artificial Intelligence Algorithm, and can achieve verified OEC Open interface connectivity with the GE OEC 3D mobile CBCT imaging system.

Expert Evaluation

"Being able to expand new functionalities on a platform I'm familiar with is exciting, and it will truly help in precisely locating and diagnosing early-stage cancer."

---Omar Ibrahim UConn Health

Executive Evaluation

"The MONARCH platform aims to transform the treatment paradigm for diseases with significant unmet needs, such as lung cancer. The introduction of the QUEST system demonstrates our commitment to enhancing patient care standards through groundbreaking innovation, supporting clinicians in their practice."

---Aleksandra Popovic, President of the MONARCH Platform at Johnson & Johnson Medical Technologies

Primary bronchogenic carcinoma, abbreviated as lung cancer, is one of the malignant tumors with higher incidence and mortality rates worldwide. In China, lung cancer ranks first in both the incidence and mortality of malignant tumors for both men and women. In 2022, there were 1.0606 million new cases of lung cancer, accounting for 22.0% of all malignant tumors, and 733,300 deaths, accounting for 28.5% of all malignant tumor-related deaths.

Lung cancer is a type of cancer with a very high incidence and mortality rate. The only way to reduce the mortality rate of lung cancer is through early detection and early treatment. Currently, the diagnosis of lung cancer...The main technology of fracture is imaging (PET-CT、LDCT, etc.`) and biopsy.`Imaging can only be used for early screening, but to truly determine whether a suspicious lesion isCancer still requires a biopsy. There are currently two main methods of biopsy:Traditional Bronchoscopy Biopsy andPercutaneous needle biopsy, but each of these two methods has its own advantages and disadvantages:

Traditional Bronchoscopy Biopsy

Applicable to central lung cancer, but difficult to reach peripheral lesions (accounting for nearly 50% of early-stage lesions), with blind spots.

Percutaneous Biopsy

For peripheral nodules, tissue samples are obtained through skin puncture, but this may lead to complications such as pneumothorax.

Need to Improve Lung Cancer BiopsyTo improve precision and reduce complications, it is necessary to upgrade biopsy technology. Representative companies like Johnson & Johnson and Intuitive have introducedRobot-Assisted Bronchoscopy Makes Lung Cancer Biopsy More Precise.In the United StatesRobot-assisted bronchoscopy was developed relatively early. Although it currently accounts for a smaller proportion, its growth rate is very fast.

Like Johnson & JohnsonMONARCH Robot Solves TraditionalTraditional BronchoscopeHard to ReachLocated in the peripheral area of the lungsLesions. Moreover, MONARCH can also assist clinicians in achieving early and definitive diagnosis of lung cancer, allowing patients to enter the treatment pathway an average of three weeks earlier.

Now Johnson & Johnson launches a new robotMONARCH QUEST, is in the old modelMONARCH Upgrade.MONARCH QUESTInOld ModelMONARCHOn the basis of stable reach and precision, it adopts a unique intrasheath endoscope design to maintain the operator's continuous field of view. Its software system integrates enhanced navigation functions with intraoperative 3D imaging data, which is expected to improve the accuracy of pulmonary nodule localization.

MONARCH QUESTBy adopting the full-stack NVIDIA accelerated computing platform based on NVIDIA RTX, real-time computing power has increased by 260%, enabling the operation of complex algorithms to enhance the precision of lung navigation and boost procedural confidence. As market demand grows,MONARCH QUESTWill continue to increase AI functional modules.

The digital capabilities of the MONARCH platform now cover the entire process from preoperative planning, intraoperative AI navigation to postoperative case data analysis. As a component of the Polyphonic digital ecosystem, the platform will integrate Johnson & Johnson's global resources to achieve data interconnectivity of world-class surgical techniques, robotics, and surgical software.