Medical Microinstruments (MMI) recently announced completion of the first cases in a neurosurgical clinical trial of the company’s Symani surgical system, sponsored by the Jacobs Institute (Buffalo, USA).
In these cases, Adnan Siddiqui (University at Buffalo, Buffalo, USA), chief executive officer (CEO) of the Jacobs Institute, performed indirect bypass encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis (EDAS) surgery to restore adequate blood supply to the brain in three adults suffering from moyamoya disease. The surgeries took place at Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute in Buffalo, USA.
“This study represents so much more than foundational work for robotic brain surgery,” said Siddiqui. “The early success of these first brain surface cases, and the ability to perform minute surgical moves on the pulsating brain, should make the world as excited as it makes me and my esteemed peers in the neurosurgery community as we explore more ways Symani can revolutionise brain surgery.”
These investigational cases are part of an early feasibility study approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and sponsored by the Jacobs Institute. The study is assessing the safety and preliminary effectiveness of Symani in performing robotic-assisted neurosurgery for adult patients with moyamoya disease, with the aim of reducing the occurrence of stroke, seizures, paralysis and vision problems as well as serious and permanent damage to the brain.
Siddiqui presented these cases during the Hopkins Lecture at this year’s Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS; 11–15 October, Los Angeles, USA).
“This advancement to first-in-human application builds on our 2024 preclinical study at the Jacobs Institute, which confirmed Symani’s potential in brain surgery,” stated Mark Toland, CEO of MMI. “Dr Siddiqui’s cases demonstrate how Symani delivers the precision required for the delicate, highly skilled manoeuvres that neurosurgery demands—capabilities that facilitate and potentially even exceed what the human hands alone can achieve. This milestone represents meaningful progress toward expanding robotic microsurgery into one of the most technically challenging areas of patient care.”
The Symani surgical system is designed to provide enhanced precision and control for the anastomosis and suturing of microscopic vessels with the thinnest available sutures. According to MMI, it has been used in more than 2,000 cases globally and its impact in lymphatic surgery has been extensively demonstrated—and this study further supports its potential to address growing demands in the treatment of neurovascular disease. However, to date, the system has not been evaluated or cleared by regulatory agencies for use in neurosurgical applications, MMI also notes in a press release.
