Dive Brief:
- Cornerstone Robotics has raised approximately $200 million to accelerate the commercialization of its surgical robotics platform, the company said Tuesday.
- Hong Kong-based Cornerstone won approval for its Sentire robot in China in 2024 and stepped up its efforts to enter the European market earlier this year.
- Early users of Sentire noted similarities to Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci range, explaining that the familiar interface eased the transition for experienced users of the market-leading platform.
Dive Insight:
Cornerstone was founded in 2019 and had finished a proof-of-concept prototype and multiple preclinical studies by the end of 2020. The progress led to clinical studies, a series of financing rounds and approval of Sentire in China. Cornerstone raised $70 million to support commercialization in January.
The robotics company will use the latest financing to accelerate commercialization and fund continued technological development. Cornerstone emphasized the international makeup of the investor syndicate behind the $200 million round, noting the involvement of a global strategic investor and global sovereign wealth funds.
Cornerstone has attracted the investment as it works to expand internationally. A hospital in the U.K. began evaluating Sentire earlier this year, marking the start of Cornerstone’s preparations for commercial activities in Europe. After his team used the device in three colorectal procedures, the surgeon and chief investigator, Jim Khan, said in a statement that he “was particularly impressed by how quickly our team adapted” to Sentire.
Surgeons who tested the system in Hong Kong in 2022 and 2023 made similar observations. Publishing their findings in the Hong Kong Medical Journal, the surgeons said the similarity of the robotic control interfaces, including hand controls and foot pedals, used in Sentire and da Vinci allowed them to adopt the new system more readily and apply their existing robotic experience.
The Hong Kong surgeons said the cost of acquiring, maintaining and running da Vinci robots has limited uptake of the devices in low- and middle-income countries. Cornerstone has not disclosed the price of its robot.
This summer, Cornerstone reported two achievements. The first was the completion of the first multi-site, living and intercontinental robotic telesurgery procedure using Sentire. The second was the autonomous execution of surgical tasks, such as gauze picking, by an artificial intelligence-enabled robot.
