ClearPoint Neuro (Nasdaq:CLPT) announced today that it is developing a proprietary robotic neuro-navigation system.
The Solana Beach, California-based company says its new product category can enable its navigation software to operate the Kuka LBR robotic arm, supporting all minimally invasive cranial surgical procedures. Those include cell and gene therapy infusions, laser catheter placement, biopsy workflows and deep brain stimulation and stereotactic EEG lead placements.
ClearPoint Neuro plans to demonstrate a prototype of the robot at CNS in Los Angeles Oct. 13-15.
The company develops stereotactic guidance technology as well as laser therapy and navigation systems. It operates in the device, cell, and gene therapy-enabling spaces, offering precise navigation to the brain and spine. Recently, it brought in financing worth $110 million to support its general corporate efforts as well.
Jeremy Stigall, CBO and GM of ClearPoint’s Biologics and Drug Delivery Business said in a news release that the addition of the robot to its portfolio comes as part of an effort to extend the company’s leading position in neuro drug delivery. It can also help partners prepare to commercialize new cell and gene therapies.
ClearPoint Neuro’s system remains investigational. The company said it plans to continue development with the goal of commercialization alongside multiple cell and gene therapies. Those neurological therapies are currently under expedited review with the FDA.
“We have reached a point in medicine that if you close your eyes and imagine the future of neurosurgery, there is no way that robotics are not a significant part of that future,” said Joe Burnett, president and CEO of ClearPoint Neuro. “We have been very thoughtful and deliberate in our approach to enter the neuro robotics market. In years past, a company would have to develop a complete robotic system from scratch and bear the entire development risk and significant costs along the way. Today, by working with Kuka, we can leverage their decades of experience which has produced an FDA cleared and CE marked robotic arm and combine that with the decades of experience we have at ClearPoint, creating a state-of-the-art neuro navigation software to drive the robot in the same 3D space. This dramatically decreases the development cost and accelerates our speed to market. The timing is crucial as we are helping our biopharma partners to identify regional treatment centers and to add surgical capacity in preparation of more significant commercial case volume in the next couple of years.”
