Swiss medical device company Distalmotion has secured US$90m (£67m) in a Series E financing round, to support the global commercialisation of its surgical robot Dexter.
Dexter is designed to enable the surgeon to come back into the sterile field, allowing direct patient access at all times and integrating proven laparoscopic workflows into the robotic setup.
Distalmotion said this novel, user-centric approach makes the surgeon the focal point of the procedure, reducing complexity and delivering sought-after simplicity and versatility to the market for robotic surgery.
“Dexter combines the best of both worlds – laparoscopy and robotics – to make sense of robotic surgery,” explained Distalmotion, CEO, Michael Friedrich.
“By addressing essential problems that operating room teams face, we can deliver on our mission to fast-track widespread adoption of robotic surgery in minimally invasive care. We are thrilled to have found the best-fitting partners to execute and deliver on this global purpose.”
The investment follows the successful completion of Dexter’s first clinical cases and aims to accelerate the Swiss company’s commercial scaling. European hospitals are spearheading the development of procedure guidelines and training protocols for robotic surgery with Dexter as part of clinical studies and an early adopter programme.
Furthermore, Distalmotion plans to work closely with the US Food and Drug Administration on a US submission supported by the financing.
“This is a fundamentally new approach to robotic surgery,” said Prof. Dieter Hahnloser, who heads colorectal surgery at Lausanne University Hospital and performed the worldwide first general surgery procedure with Dexter in 2021.
“Dexter’s open platform and the ability to switch quickly between standard laparoscopy and the robot give me an added sense of control and the freedom of choice to use the best instruments available for the job. To have these benefits while remaining sterile, with direct access to patient and robot, indicates Dexter can be a gamechanger in ORs around the world.”
