NIH Funds Research at Rose Biomedical and University of Colorado to Develop Miniaturized Medical Robotic Tool

Denver, CO (May, 2005) -- Denver-based Rose Biomedical, with partner University of Colorado, announced that they have secured a Phase I, National Institutes of Health Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant for $151,892 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to initiate research and develop “proof-of-concept” data for the MicroFlex scope, a new flexible, miniaturized diagnostic and surgical tool. The tool, with a 3-mm diameter design, will have flexibility to navigate small areas in the body, such as the sinuses, lung, ear, etc. The tool is designed to contain optics for direct visualization of surrounding tissue, as well as channels to conduct surgical work, such as obtaining tissue samples for biopsy and delivering medication. Ken Weil, Rose Biomedical President, says, “The research on the initial application, navigating the sinuses, will be conducted by Dr. Dale Lawrence, inventor and a University of Colorado at Boulder professor, and Dr. Todd Kingdom, Director, Rhinology and Sinus Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.”

Millions of diagnostic procedures are conducted each year requiring good visualization in order to diagnose problems in the sinus cavities. In 2001, approximately 200,000 sinus surgeries were performed in the U.S. Access, visualization, and surgeon confidence are critical factors when it comes to patient safety and minimizing complications in diagnosing and performing surgery. The sinuses are considered one of the more surgically challenging areas of body with their proximity to the eyes and brain. This new device will be a significant improvement over current endoscopes, and related instrumentation, which do not provide much flexibility and precise visualization, and make it difficult to perform sensitive procedures in the sinus structures.

“We’re excited about the potential of this technology to access small areas of the anatomy that are difficult to reach,” said Dr. Dale Lawrence, the inventor. “Ultimately, it may provide a useful tool for a variety of medical applications, including diagnostic and surgical care in newborns and children.”

About Rose Biomedical
Rose Biomedical partners with companies, medical professionals and inventors to develop and commercialize medical products that improve the quality of care while reducing the cost. Rose Biomedical assists partners in securing resources to implement the next developmental steps towards commercializing products and accelerating the time to market to benefit medical professionals and consumers. Rose Biomedical has worked with partners to secure over $18 million in funding, develop and refine products, conduct clinical research, publish academic data, establish patents and intellectual property, and license and commercialize products. For more information, contact us at our website, www.rosebiomed.com.

About University of Colorado
The CU Technology Transfer Office pursues, protects, packages and licenses to business the intellectual property generated from the university-based research enterprise and serves faculty, staff and students seeking to create such intellectual property. For more information on CU's technology transfer services, please visit www.cu.edu/techtransfer.

Contact info about this release
Rae Reynolds
Rose Biomedical
(303) 667-9265
reynolds@qadas.com

https://www.cusys.edu/news