AiM Medical Robotics, BWH partner on robotic DBS study
AiM Medical Robotics today announced a collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) to validate its robot for deep brain stimulation (DBS).
The company and hospital, along with Harvard’s Surgical Navigation and Robotics (SNR) lab, joined forces. They aim to validate AiM’s robot in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s patients.
Worcester, Massachusetts-based AiM said it plans for the study to take place at BWH’s advanced multimodality image-guided operating (AMIGO) suite. It already reported a successful cadaver trial at the PracticePoint facility. This trial demonstrated the precise delivery of bilateral DBS leads using real-time MRI guidance.
In the new effort, the teams plan to utilize AiM’s stereotactic neurosurgery robot to accurately deliver DBS leads with real-time MRI guidance for patients with Parkinson’s. AiM develops a compact, MRI-compatible surgical robot designed to facilitate intelligent intraoperative surgical planning and guidance through real-time soft tissue imaging.
AiM’s technology can avoid the issue of brain shift in these procedures. Brain shift can lead to inconsistent and suboptimal outcomes as the target moves relative to the skull during surgery. The company says its technology can address challenges in neuromodulation, ablation and drug delivery.
The company also entered into a collaboration with Synaptive Medical, the maker of robotic exoscope technology. AiM plans to integrate the Synaptive Modus Nav neuro-navigation software with the robot to enhance neurosurgery procedures. The companies believe they can create an optimized workflow that delivers precision and efficiency for deep brain interventions.
