Navigantis performs first clinical cases with Vasco robotic platform

Navigantis Inc. last week announced the first successful clinical procedures performed with its Vasco surgical robot for patients suffering from neurovascular disorders. The interventional cases involved patients undergoing diagnostic cerebral angiogram, brain tumor embolization, and mechanical thrombectomy for ischemic stroke.

“This achievement marks an important milestone in our mission to introduce the advantages of robotic procedures to the interventional neurovascular field,” stated Mor Dayan, CEO of Navigantis.

“The Vasco robotic platform has the potential to redefine how we approach the most complex and time-sensitive neurovascular procedures, ultimately improving both patient outcomes and procedural efficiencies,” he added. “This is one of the first steps towards enabling robotic telesurgery for stroke patients, which could dramatically reduce response times and enhance access to timely critical care.”

Neurovascular diseases require timely treatment

Neurovascular diseases, including stroke, aneurysms, and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are leading causes of death and disability worldwide, according to Navigantis. Strokes affect someone in the U.S. every 40 seconds, and they are the leading cause of disability.

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is now the “gold standard” for acute ischemic stroke, noted the Miami-based company. If a patient receives MT within two hours from the onset of symptoms, he or she has a 90% chance of re-achieving independence. At six hours, the number drops to 30%.

Navigantis asserted that these numbers reaffirm the importance of ensuring that procedures are timely and widely available. They are currently constrained by the insufficient number of trained neuro-interventionalists and the limited access outside urban areas.

Despite improvements in stroke systems of care, many Americans still lack timely access to acute stroke intervention, Navigantis said.

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Navigantis takes steps to more complex surgery

Founded in 2022, Navigantis has developed an interventional robotic platform for a wide range of neurovascular procedures and indications, including acute ischemic stroke. VASCO is an investigational device and is currently undergoing clinical evaluation outside the U.S. It is not approved for commercial use in any jurisdiction, including the U.S.

As more endovascular procedures requiring fluoroscopy for imaging guidance are performed to treat neurovascular diseases, it has become vitally important to focus on decreasing radiation exposure. The application of robotics for interventional procedures will greatly reduce it, Navigantis said.

Prof. Dong Joon Kim, a pioneer in the robotic neuro-interventional space and the chairman of radiology at Severance Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, led the study. 

“These first successful robotic cases are a major stepping stone towards treating more complex neurovascular diseases,” said Prof. Kim.

The company said this achievement builds on its earlier first-in-human (FIH) trials in 2022, in which physicians used the previous generation of VASCO to successfully perform robotic embolization of liver tumors.

In July 2024, Navigantis closed a $12 million Series A funding round. The company said proceeds from the financing will be used to support the ongoing development and testing of the robot to bring VASCO to FIH clinical trials for neurovascular procedures.