VirtaMed announces partnership with EndoQuest in Texas

VirtaMed, the Schlieren-based company that specializes in medical simulators, is partnering with EndoQuest Robotics Inc. in Houston, according to a statement. The company from the US state of Texas has developed the world's first flexible surgical robotic system for use inside vessels such as intestines or veins. The partnership aims to develop a novel robotic surgical simulator to support skills and procedures training for EndoQuest's Endoluminal Surgical System (ELS).

EndoQuest's robotic platform combines the flexibility of endoscopy, which can navigate the curvature of patients’ anatomy, with instrumentation that allows physicians to use a conventional two-handed surgical technique, according to the joint statement from the two companies. The EndoQuest system eliminates the need for external skin incisions or the need to cut through healthy tissue to treat diseased tissue, it writes.

“The aim of simulation is to standardize best practices to ultimately improve clinical outcomes using skill and procedural-based metrics,” commented Chris Klecher, Senior Vice President Marketing and Clinical Development at EndoQuest. 

With the partnership, the companies want to “help surgeons become proficient with Flexible Endoluminal Robotic Surgery and to reach optimal patient outcomes from the very first patient treated with this amazing technology”, added Stefan Tuchschmid PhD, co-CEO and Founder of VirtaMed.

VirtaMed is based in the IJZ innovation and startup hub and is a member of Start Smart Schlieren. gba