Medical education company Simbionix is looking to become the industry leader in what could be the next generation of surgical simulation technology: patient-specific simulation.
Patient-specific simulation refers to importing scans of a particular patient’s body, such as CTAs, into a simulator to allow a doctor to rehearse a near-exact replica of the operation he’ll conduct the following day, for example.
The advantage to a simulation company like Simbionix of patient-specific surgery is that it opens up a market of experienced surgeons who could become customers.
“Patient-specific simulation potentially opens up a new market for us within the clinical environment, whether with experienced surgeons or residents and fellows learning new procedures,” said Simbionix CEO Gary Zamler. “It also allows us to interact with the larger imaging and medical device companies.”
Because patient-specific simulation may become a hot market, Israel- and Cleveland-based Simbionix is far from the only player. Competitors include Surgical Science and Immersive Touch. Simbionix even has a local, Cleveland-area competitor in the space, Surgical Theater.
Simbionix has already made substantial progress in the market. Its patient-specific product called the PROcedure Rehersal Studio has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for two applications: carotid stenting and endovascular aneurysm repair.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
In its history, Simbionix has placed about 1,400 simulators in 40 countries. The 100-employee company, which was founded in Israel and established its U.S. headquarters in Cleveland, gets about 60 percent of its business from teaching hospitals and simulation centers, with the remainder coming from medical technology companies, Zamler said.
In the video below, Simbionix’s Virginia Budzinski demonstrates a procedure to treat an abdominal aortic aneurysm on the company’s PROcedure Rehearsal Studio simulator.
