The second sub-component of the Virtuoso System to reach “design freeze” is the Surgeon Workstation. Having the sub-component meet design freeze means that it is ready for final fabrication, testing, and submission to the Food & Drug Administration for approval. The remaining two sub-components of the system, the Endoscope/Motorpack and the System Holding Arm, are expected to reach their design-freeze milestones by the end of 2022.
Virtuoso Surgical received funding from the National Institutes of Health to conduct experiments using the Virtuoso System to approach lesions, including cancerous blockages, of the trachea. The final experiments were a success, demonstrating clear benefits of the Virtuoso System for removing cancerous blockages from the trachea.
The Virtuoso System has four main sub-components: the Surgeon Input Device, the Surgeon Workstation, the Endoscope/Motorpack, and the System Holding Arm. The first sub-component to reach “design freeze” is the Surgeon Input Device. Having the sub-component meet design freeze means that it is ready for final fabrication, testing, and submission to the Food & Drug Administration for approval. The remaining three sub-components are expected to reach their design-freeze milestones by the end of 2022.
Dr. Herrell presented the Virtuoso System to venture-capital investors at the invitation of the Wilson Sonsini law firm. Venture Summit/West, a nationally recognized venture-capital conference held annually in Silicon Valley, hosted Dr. Herrell for his investor presentation. The reception of the audience was extremely positive, opening up further discussions between the Company and a number of potential backers.
The Virtuoso System was publicly demonstrated for the first time at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Urological Association, which is the nations leading association of Urologists. The conference, held in New Orleans, hosted a demonstration of the Virtuoso’s “Bach” prototype. Hundreds of urologists stopped by Virtuoso’s booth and the response was overwhelmingly favorable to the demonstration of Bach in action.
Dr. Herrell, an internationally recognized expert in medical device innovation, development of new surgical techniques, and robotic surgical technology, has served as founder and CMO of Virtuoso since helping found the company in 2016. He has taken leave from his busy clinical practice as a renowned robotic and minimally invasive urologic surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Herrell will lead capital raising, continue to contribute to robotic system development, develop clinical advisory groups, and oversee plans for regulatory approval studies.
Visit the new Resources section of the website to see videos of several first surgeries from Virtuoso Surgical.
Our first surgeries include: first in vivo animal experiment: porcine uterus, first cadaver BPH surgery, first cadaver bladder surgery, and cadaver BPH section dissection.
The Virtuoso System was used in Atlanta, Georgia, to perform experiments on a live sow. The sow’s uterus is an excellent live model for simulating a human uterus as well as the human bladder, particularly for evaluating the Virtuoso System’s ability to perform precise dissection, tissue retraction, and control of bleeding. The system performed well and demonstrated an excellent ability to stop intra-operative bleeding.
Virtuoso is the subject of an editorial in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, which concludes “…my excitement is considering the new procedures that we may be able to perform transcervically. This includes treating deep intramural myomas, hysteroscopic suturing, more complete resection of adenomyosis, and alternative therapies for congenital uterine anomalies. I offer my congratulations and encouragement for the authors and developers of this novel robotic technology.”
“Virtuoso Surgical: Endoscopic Surgery Reimagined”
MedTech Outlook, July 2020
Virtuoso Surgical’s system replaces single, straight tools in many rigid endoscopic procedures, enabling surgeons to grasp, manipulate, and cut tissues with unparalleled bimanual dexterity. This capability gives surgeons the ability to perform advanced rigid endoscopic surgery – a task often limited by the tool and the surgeon’s experience with it.