EndoQuest Robotics Endoluminal Surgical (ELS) System Wins 2022 Surgical Robotic Challenge (Best Application Award)

HOUSTON, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ENDOQUEST Robotics, developer of the world's first flexible endoluminal robotic system which enables scar-free and less invasive surgical procedures announced that the Company's Endoluminal Surgical (ELS) System was named the winner of the Best Application Award in the 2022 Surgical Robotic Challenge. The award was presented on June 28, 2022 during the 14^th Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics held in London.

"The Surgical Robotic Challenge is one of the most prestigious honors that can be earned in robotics technology and this award represents a new level of interest and validation in our innovative ELS technology," said Kurt Azarbarzin, Chief Executive Officer of EndoQuest Robotics.  "This recognition and honor is a reflection of the outstanding work of our team and brings new levels of momentum to our plans to advance this technology to an IDE application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration."

EndoQuest's advanced robotic platform enables therapeutic endoscopists and surgeons to perform endoluminal surgeries through the body's existing lumens, eliminating the need for incisions that lead to visible scarring. The ELS System combines the flexibility of conventional endoscopy with the advantages of traditional surgical techniques that can improve control and precision.  The Company's proprietary endoscope is a flexible and steerable overtube that functions as a robotic delivery system able to deliver two surgical instruments and a flexible videoscope to a surgical target. With the enhanced capabilities of the EndoQuest's ELS System, advanced endoscopists and surgeons can access locations in the digestive tract through a body's natural orifice using traditional surgical techniques not previously possible.

The award was based on results of a review of the use of the ELS System in ex vivo tissue models, including bovine colon and porcine esophagus, as well as a porcine Zenker's diverticula model, to assess basic functionality.  Technical feasibility of colonic lesion resection was also explored.   Results showed that the ELS system was able to function in a tortuous configuration with stable, smooth, and predictable movement of the flexible instrument end effectors and accessories could be efficiently exchanged without repositioning or interruption of the procedure.  Tissue resection was possible in preclinical models, including simulated lesions in bovine colon. Myotomies were also successfully performed in porcine esophagus and Zenker's diverticula models. 

"This achievement highlights the potential for EndoQuest's ELS System to allow for much broader adoption of endoluminal tissue resection techniques, ultimately enabling less invasive and scar-free endoluminal surgery to become more widely available to patients," Mr. Azarbarzin added.  "There is also clear potential to expand the applications of this technology further in endoscopic surgery in the years ahead."

About The Surgical Robotic Challenge

The Surgical Robotic Challenge is an international competition that attracts some of the leading surgical robotics groups from around the world to showcase innovative new ideas across a range of surgical robot platforms.  Awards are presented in three categories:  Best Application, Best Innovation and Best Design.

About EndoQuest Robotics

EndoQuest Robotics has developed the Endoluminal Surgical (ELS) System, the world's first endoluminal robotic surgical system that makes it possible for therapeutic endoscopists and surgeons to perform upper and lower gastrointestinal surgery less-invasively through a trans-oral or trans-anal approach. EndoQuest's robotic platform combines the flexibility of endoscopy that is able to navigate the curvature of patients' anatomy with instrumentation that allows the physician to use a conventional two-handed surgical technique. The EndoQuest ELS System has further potential applications in a range of minimally invasive surgeries including appendectomy and cholecystectomy that can be performed with no external incisions. For additional information, visit the Company's website at www.endoquestrobotics.com.

The ELS System is under development, has not been cleared by the FDA and is not for commercial sale in the United States.

SOURCE EndoQuest Robotics