A spinoff developed by New York’s Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the University at Buffalo (UB) is working to train surgeons around the world in robotic surgery using technology that simulates the touch and feel of a robotic surgical system. The Robotic Surgical Simulator (RoSS) was developed over a four-year period by a Roswell surgeon and an engineering professor at UB. The duo launched Simulated Surgical Systems LLC to commercialize and sell the device to medical schools, hospitals, and surgical groups. Khurshid Guru, MD, co-founder and chief medical officer of the company and director of Roswell’s Center for Robotic Surgery, likens robotic surgical systems to an aircraft, saying they’re only as good as the pilot. However, there aren’t many training tools in existence, so many surgeons learn as they go. Like a flight simulator, the RoSS allows physicians to make mistakes in the virtual world instead of live patients.
The simulators are designed to offer two levels of training. One level covers basic operations, such as using the controls and improving hand-eye coordination. The devices also come with training software geared toward specific types of surgery. The RoSS will likely be most widely used to train surgeons in urological surgery, which comprises the largest share of robotic surgery. Other specialties include obstetrics and gynecological surgery, cardiac surgery, and nephrology, according to Thenkurussi “Kesh” Kesavadas, the company’s co-founder and chief technology officer. The system is being tested at four medical schools, including Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. The company expects to introduce the RoSS units early next year at a price of about $100,000 each.
Robert Genco, vice provost at UB and director of the Office of Science Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach, says the company is the first spinoff formed jointly between UB and another entity. “It’s an interesting company,” he says. “All aspects of the technology are covered, plus the business expertise. It has great potential.” The State University of New York Research Foundation and Health Research, Inc., the technology transfer arm of Roswell Park, jointly licensed the technology to Simulated Surgical Systems.
Source: Buffalo Business First and The Buffalo News