Robocath’s R-One™ robot acquired by the Medical Training & Testing Center in Rouen for future healthcare practitioner training

Robocath, a company that designs, develops and commercializes cardiovascular robotic systems for the treatment of vascular diseases, announces today that the Medical Training and Testing Center (MTC) in Rouen will use its R-One^™ robot for future training. Founded in 2017, the MTC is a new center dedicated to training healthcare professionals in a number specialties, with special focus on new technologies.

The R-One^™ robot at the MTC will enable the training of future potential users and ensure optimal use by healthcare practitioners ahead of the upcoming commercial launch of the device in Europe and the Middle East.

Philippe Bencteux, MD, president and founder of Robocath, said: “This acquisition by the MTC of our first robotic solution is a key step in our company’s development. I am particularly proud of this collaboration. We share the same goal: to contribute to a new era of medical advances where robotics will definitely play a critical role.”

Véronique Desjardins, general manager of Rouen University Hospital Center, said: “The medical teams from the Rouen University Hospital Center were closely involved in the design of the R-One^™ robot, due to the proximity of Robocath’s headquarters. This collaborative work within the ‘Rouen Innovation Santé’ working group shows that local collaborations can result in promising innovations for the benefit of healthcare practitioners and patients. Thanks to the financial support from the Rouen Normandy Metropole, the Rouen University Hospital Center was able to acquire the R-One^™ device to complete MTC’s cutting-edge technical equipment offering. The robot will enable us to train future users of the platform. This fully aligns with our objective to support medical innovation and to bring these innovations to medical teams. Support for innovation and applied research is one of MTC’s goals, a center that meets the needs of healthcare companies for testing of and training on the medical devices they develop.”

Frédéric Sanchez, president of Rouen Normandy Metropole, said: “Robocath is an innovative startup developing technology that will revolutionize the patient’s medical care and the working conditions of interventional cardiologists. I am proud that the Rouen Normandy Metropole has set up the network of incubators and business parks as well as the support tools to help innovative companies to develop in our region. Robocath is without doubt one of the most exemplary successes of our ecosystem. The Metropole supported development of the Medical Training & Testing Center, an excellent tool intended to train national and international medical teams and to contribute to the development of technological innovations. It was obvious that the Metropole should facilitate the acquisition of the first R-One^™ robotic platform by the Rouen University Hospital Center for the MTC by fully financing the investment. “

Françoise Guégot, 3^rd vice-president of the Normandy Region, said: “Although it is not one of our areas of competence, the Normandy Region intends to strengthen the health sector through economic development, highlighting it as a strategic sector and supporting innovative companies. With this in mind the Region supported the development of the R-One^™ medical robot by Robocath with €1.1 million ($1.3M), through the Normandie Participations fund, as well as with a €600,000 ($687K) grant under the Impulse Innovation scheme. In addition, the Region supported the Rouen University Hospital Center with €100,000 ($114K) for the acquisition of new advanced tools in simulation by the Medical Training & Testing Center in Rouen.”  

ABOUT ROBOCATH

Founded in 2009 by Philippe Bencteux, MD, Robocath designs, develops and commercializes robotic solutions to treat cardiovascular diseases. As an active player in the evolving medical robotic industry, these innovative solutions aim to make medical procedures safer, thanks to reliable technologies, while complementing manual interventions.

R-One™ is the first solution developed by Robocath. It uses a unique technology that optimizes the safety of robotic-assisted coronary angioplasty. This medical procedure consists of revascularizing the cardiac muscle by inserting one or more implants (stents) into the arteries that supply it with blood. Every 30 seconds, somewhere in the world, this type of procedure is performed. R-One™ is designed to operate with precision and perform specific movements creating better interventional conditions. Thanks to its open architecture, R-One™ is compatible with market leading devices and cath labs.

Currently at the approval stage, R-One™ commercialization and clinical use will start in Europe in early 2019.

Robocath aims to become the world leader in vascular robotics and develop the remote treatment of vascular emergencies, guaranteeing the best care pathway for all.

Based in Rouen, Robocath has more than 20 employees and is financially supported by regional investment funds (NCI, Normandy participations, GO CAPITAL), national investment funds (M Capital, Supernova Invest) as well as by several business angels and financial institutions (Caisse d’épargne, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole) and Bpifrance.

www.robocath.com  

ABOUT THE MEDICAL TRAINING & TESTING CENTER OF ROUEN

“Never the first time on patient”, is the leitmotiv of the Medical Training and Testing Center (MTC) of Rouen University Hospital, an innovative training center simulation, the first in France.

Located in the Rouen University Hospital and in a cluster dedicated to Heath Innovation (‘Rouen Innovation Santé’) the MTC has an international influence and has two main activities:

• A simulation platform for initial and ongoing training:  The main goal is to offer multidisciplinary, interactive and collaborative training to students and healthcare professionals including physicians, surgeons, paramedics and biologists. Professionals from different fields work together during both procedural and behavioral training. MTC teaches, through behavioral simulation (role-play), social science training (strategies to manage different professional relationships) and crisis management.
• A technical platform to develop innovation and research: As an innovative and a multidisciplinary center, the MTC offers a technological platform that includes many simulators of both high and low fidelity. It contributes to the expansion of technological innovations.

The MTC also provides operating rooms. The MTC, in partnership with the Rouen University and with the support of the Normandy region, is based on the momentum created by healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical and biomedical laboratories to remain at the cutting edge of innovation and provide more efficient health services for the population.

The building also offers a 50-seat amphitheater, as well as fully equipped training rooms with the latest high-definition audiovisual technologies. The modern and bright lobby can also accommodate events.

www.mtc-rouen.com  

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