The Israeli subsidiary of Simbionix USA and a Florida medical school have received a grant of an unspecified amount to develop a laparoscopic hysterectomy surgery simulator.
The grant comes from the U.S.-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation, which promotes technology collaborations between companies and organizations from the two countries.
In developing the simulator, Simbionix Ltd. will partner with USF Health, which includes the University of South Florida’s medical and nursing schools, according to a statement from Simbionix.
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Simbionix makes simulators to train doctors and others how to do medical procedures. The company was founded in Israel and bases its U.S. operations in Cleveland.
Laparoscopic hysterectomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allows the uterus to be detached from inside the body while the doctor is viewing the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries through a camera attached to a telescope. The procedure requires greater surgical skill than the vaginal and abdominal methods of hysterectomy, and surgeons need to perform about 15 laparoscopic hysterectomies before they become proficient, according to the statement.
“The award of the BIRD grant provides a fantastic opportunity for us to work with Simbionix to develop the first laparoscopic hysterectomy simulation module for training GYN surgeons in minimally invasive surgery techniques,” said Dr. Stephen Klasko, CEO of USF Health.
The BIRD Foundation announced six grants, including the one to Simbionix and USF, (pdf) in a statement earlier this month. The grants totaled $4.2 million, but the foundation didn’t break that number down into individual amounts.