After the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, Preceyes‘s technology will also be used in the eye surgery at the Oogziekenhuis Rotterdam. With the support of Brabantse Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij (BOM) the Eindhoven-based startup (a spinoff from the TU/e) can enhance the development of the clinical use of the surgery robot.
The Rotterdam Eye Hospital and Preceyes B.V. have entered into a strategic collaboration for the clinical development of Preceyes’s robot for ophthalmic surgery. The goal is to assist and enhance surgeons’ ability during demanding retinal surgery by improving precision and safety.
Retinal surgeries are manually performed by a small group of highly specialized ophthalmologists. The Preceyes Surgical System is a robot that assists in performing these surgeries, targeting to improve precision and safety. The Rotterdam Eye Hospital and the Rotterdam Ophthalmic Institute have bought the robot to evaluate it in a multi-year collaboration with Preceyes, with a financial contribution of the Coolsingel Foundation. The focus is on demonstrating the clinical benefit of robotic assistance for the most demanding tasks in retinal surgery, including the development of new treatments. The parties aim to start using the robot by the end of 2017.
“This treatment is expected to prevent patients from losing sight.”Nico Klay, CEO Rotterdam Eye Hospital
Ophthalmologist in Chief of the Rotterdam Eye Hospital Prof. Jan van Meurs MD PhD: “The eye is a small and complex organ, which implies delicate, complex surgery. With the help of a surgical robot, we will be able to perform new treatments that are either very difficult or even impossible at this moment. For example, the robot enables the administration of drugs in very small blood vessels at the back of the eye. This and other treatments are expected to prevent patients from losing sight.”
Nico Klay, CEO of the Rotterdam Eye Hospital indicated: “As a highly specialized eye institute, it is very important for us to work on groundbreaking innovations. The robot will allow us to improve the eye care we provide to our patients.”
Koorosh Faridpooya MD, a senior retinal surgeon at the Rotterdam Eye Hospital, will lead the project as the head clinical researcher. He has been working together with the Preceyes team on the development of the robot for almost five years. Together with a team of experienced retinal surgeons in the Rotterdam Eye Hospital, he guarantees, among other things, that there will be compliance with the regulations and interest of the patient.
Preceyes is also excited with the strategic collaboration. Prof. Marc de Smet MDCM, PhD, Chief Medical Officer says: “Together we will demonstrate the importance of our platform in the daily surgical care of patients. We are convinced that the robot can play an important supporting role in improving both existing and new surgical procedures. Our Preceyes Surgical System will integrate precision into eye surgery where it is required, at a surgeon’s discretion. Such developments are only possible with forward thinking and skilled surgeons as in the Rotterdam Eye Hospital.”
Perry van Rijsingen, CEO at Preceyes, adds: “Through this collaboration, both the Rotterdam Eye Hospital and Preceyes B.V. establish, each in our own field, a leading position within the ophthalmic world. The insights from this research, including those on the clinical benefits made possible with our robot, will be used in the development of the next generation robots.”
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