CGBIO Inc., Korea’s Regenerative Medicine company has recently announced a partnership agreement with NDR Medical Technology, a Singapore-based company, to introduce an Automated Needle Targeting (ANT)-X system, combining Artificial Intelligence (AI) and medical image processing to assist surgeons during minimally invasive surgery and to collaborate in clinical studies. The partnership shall promote mutual medical technology collaboration between Singapore and Korea and also expand the globalization strategy of local medical technology in the following years.
The partnership will allow CGBIO to carry out clinical studies with local prominent doctors to expand the ANT system in a wide range of potential interventional procedures such as urology, orthopedics, neurosurgery, etc. The company will also carry out studies to finalize the launch of ANT-C, a CT-guided robot.
Numerous clinicians have performed their interventional procedures before, based on a separate program to assess a patient’s anatomy and conduct trajectory path alignment, but these processes were not sufficiently precise and required more time.
NDR Medical Technology was founded in 2015 and developed the world’s first AI-empowered interventional robot systems. The ANT system is based on the company’s first interventional robot that integrates C-arm fluoroscopy and CT imaging to help clinicians achieve safe and accurate percutaneous needle placement. ANT-X fully automates its system calibration and the needle alignment with a single X-ray image and allows the clinicians to focus solely on controlling the depth of insertion. Less fluoroscopic time due to accurate and quick needle alignment can result in less radiation exposure for patients and clinicians. For global expansion, NDR has obtained CE certification for ANT-X and completed clinical studies in Japan and Southeast Asian countries.
“Many global medical device companies have endeavored to be partnering with top candidates for AI software-based digital transformation,” said Hyunseung Yu, CEO of CGBIO, adding that “based on the accumulated Regenerative Medicine technology and numerous clinical experience hitherto, CGBIO and NDR together will explore the field of AI-based digital healthcare technology in Asia. Through our commitment to providing reliable and accurate medical services to patients, we count on stronger business competitiveness in the global digital healthcare market.”
