Latest news with #medicalinnovation
Zawya
4 days ago
- Health
- Zawya
Clemenceau Medical Center Dubai celebrates 825 robotic surgeries, leading innovation in surgical care
Dubai, UAE – Clemenceau Medical Center Dubai (CMC Dubai) continues to redefine surgical excellence through the advanced integration of robotic technology across multiple specialties. As a regional leader in medical innovation, CMC Dubai has successfully deployed robotic-assisted surgery in general surgery, gynecology, urology, bariatric surgery, and more recently, orthopedics—demonstrating a truly multidisciplinary approach to precision care. With over 825 robotic procedures performed using the state-of-the-art da Vinci Surgical System, CMC Dubai marks a major milestone in its journey toward transforming patient care. A celebration of this achievement will be held at 1:00 PM on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the hospital's Dubai campus, attended by hospital leadership, surgeons, and the da Vinci robotic surgical team. 'Dubai is the city of innovation with the vision of the future. It helps the sociality. Every day, there is innovation with new developments—and in CMC, we want to be in front of that. In 2021, we introduced robotic surgery, and in the last four years, we have performed 825 robotic surgeries, which makes CMC one of the most advanced hospitals. I do not see the surgeon being replaced by the automatic system, but rather the system helps and guides the surgeon to perform with higher precision.' — Mr. Mark Adams, CEO, Clemenceau Medical Center Dubai "Robotic surgery offers unmatched precision and control, allowing us to minimize complications and ensure faster patient recovery," says Dr. Walid Faraj, Consultant General Surgeon at CMC Dubai. "The robotic system doesn't replace the surgeon—it enhances our capabilities. With 360-degree articulation and exceptional accuracy, we're able to operate in areas that would be challenging or risky using traditional techniques." "Robotic surgery is no longer the future—it's the present, empowering surgeons to perform safer, faster, and more accurate procedures," says Dr. Abdul Kader Weiss, Specialist General & Laparoscopic Surgeon at CMC Dubai. "What once required large incisions and long hospital stays can now be done through tiny ports, with the robot as an extension of the surgeon's hand. At CMC, we are proud to be at the forefront of this transformation, aligning with the UAE's ambition to lead in medical innovation." The result is a transformative impact on both clinical outcomes and patient experience. Robotic-assisted procedures typically involve smaller incisions, reduced blood loss, less post-operative pain, and significantly shorter hospital stays. Many patients are discharged within 24 to 48 hours, returning to normal activities more quickly and with fewer complications. Delivering Superior Outcomes Through Innovation CMC Dubai was among the first hospitals in the UAE to adopt robotic surgery and continues to set benchmarks in this domain. The center's commitment to innovation is matched by its focus on patient safety, outcome-driven care, and ongoing investment in the latest surgical technologies. "Our goal is to expand what is surgically possible," adds Dr. Faraj. "With robotic systems, we are performing more complex surgeries with greater confidence and control, while continuously improving patient satisfaction and recovery time." Backed by an international legacy of excellence and a strong vision for the future, Clemenceau Medical Center Dubai remains a leader in robotic surgery, not just within the UAE, but across the wider Middle East region. About Clemenceau Medical Center Dubai Clemenceau Medical Center Dubai is part of the Clemenceau Medicine International network, affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine International. With a mission to deliver world-class, patient-centered care using cutting-edge technology and internationally trained physicians, CMC Dubai is redefining healthcare standards in the region.
Zawya
26-05-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Riyadh hospital pioneers AI device implant for brain stimulation
Saudi Arabia - King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Riyadh has successfully executed a groundbreaking procedure in the Middle East, implanting an advanced smart device within the brain to help manage chronic neurological disorders. This device monitors abnormal electrical activity and sends targeted electrical impulses to the affected regions, aiming to alleviate symptoms, decrease dependence on medication, and enhance patients' quality of life, independence, and health stability. This state-of-the-art innovation enables patients to better control neurological symptoms and potentially lower medication doses by as much as 50%, reducing side effects and improving daily activities- especially for those with Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and movement disorders, said the centre. The device's built-in artificial intelligence rapidly analyses brain signals to detect abnormal activity patterns and responds by providing targeted electrical stimulation to restore neural balance. This allows for highly accurate, adaptive treatment that adjusts to the patient's condition in real time without requiring continuous manual intervention from healthcare professionals. While benefits start to appear within the first few weeks post-implantation, achieving optimal results requires a fine-tuning period of one to three months, during which electrical responses are calibrated according to real-time brain signals collected by the device, it said. The procedure utilises minimally invasive methods lasting only three to five hours, avoiding large surgical cuts. This approach lessens recovery time, minimises complications, and encourages a quicker return to everyday activities. This achievement highlights KFSHRC's ongoing progress in harnessing artificial intelligence and medical innovation to provide high-precision, specialised care, meet patient needs, and shape an advanced therapeutic model for the region and beyond, the centre said. Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
The extraordinary promise of gene editing
Biologist whose innovation saved the life of British teenager wins $3m Breakthrough prize US doctors rewrite DNA of infant with severe genetic disorder in medical first Support the Guardian:
News.com.au
20-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Biocurious: Avita Medical gets skin in more games with its wider wound care push
From its spray-on skin treatment origins, Avita has developed products for wider burns applications and other traumatic wounds The company will not be afraid to drop prices to win US market share Nonetheless, management promises the loss-making company will be in the black by the end of the year Avita Medical (ASX:AVH) has been synonymous with its spray-on skin burns treatment Recell, developed by legendary Perth burns surgeon Professor Fiona Wood and first used on Bali bomb blast victims in 2002. In the ensuing years, Avita painstakingly commercialised Recell to become a staple tool for US burns surgeons. Recell addresses only a small share of the burns sector, while traumatic wounds open a more capacious market. In essence, Avita is transforming from a single-product company to an 'integrated, multi-product platform' for acute wound care. The company expects its new dermal matrix, Cohealyx, to triple its share of the US burns market – and has put its bigger rivals on notice that it will drop prices to gain market share. 'We are ready to go,' says Avita's US based CEO Jim Corbett. Reflecting Avita's US focus, the company is listed on the Nasdaq as well as the ASX. Avita's legacy Recell product involves taking a small skin sample from the body and mixing the cells into a liquid spray. Recell competes with traditional skin grafts – the main difference being one battery-operated Recell kit can cover 80 times the area of a graft. European regulators approved Recell in 2005, followed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018. The FDA later extended approval to wounds and full-thickness skin defects. As is typical for device makers, Avita gleans its revenue from the more economically attractive US market. Avita's new variant, Recell Go makes the process more automated, so that surgeons don't have to spend precious time scraping the skin. The company claims it will reduce the time it takes to train a user, from 50 minutes to five minutes. Recell Go applies to burns covering up to 10% of total body surface area (TBSA), or up to 1920 square centimetres. The company expects FDA approval for another iteration, Recell Go Mini, for smaller burns up to 2.5% of the body (up to 480 sq cm). Enter The Matrix Launched on April 1 - but not foolishly - Cohealyx is a collagen-based dermal marix that acts as a 'scaffolding' for new tissue. Designed to be used with Recell for regenerating full-thickness wounds, Cohealyx pits Avita against rivals including Integra Lifesciences and Organogenesis, as well as the ASX-listed PolyNovo (ASX:PNV). (Polynovo's $950 million market valuation eclipses Avita's $280 million, even though they have similar revenue). Avita also holds the exclusive US rights to market, sell and distribute Permeaderm, a biosynthetic wound dressing that goes on top. Permeaderm has 'microporous variability', meaning it can be stretched to make it bigger or smaller while ensuring the pus exits the wound (a good thing). In the meantime, Avita has throttled back on developing a product for Vitiligo, a common skin condition, for commercial reasons. Go low to go high If Avita's management is cowed by having so many rivals, it's not letting on. 'We believe Cohealyx will be the real winner for the company,' chief financial officer David O'Toole says. 'We are going to price it to gain market share'. O'Toole says rival products typically sell for US$15 ($24) per square centimetre. 'We will sell it for US$10 if value analysis committee wants it that low,' he says. 'But we don't think we have to go that low because it is a superior product.' Naturelement! Avita envisages a consignment model, by which product is shipped to the hospitals and then only paid for when used. While not good for the company's cash flow, the hospital bean counters should love it. Avita also is undertaking post-market clinical studies to demonstrate the product's efficacy and economic relevance. That's code for 'we need data to help hospitals justify buying this stuff'. In the black by Christmas? Avita reported March quarter revenue of US$18.5 million, 65% higher year-on-year, with a loss of US$13.8 million compared with an US$18.6 million deficit previously. Avita shares were birched 16% post results, because revenue fell short of consensus expectations of US$20.5 million. Turnover was also flat on the December quarter. Patient investors are hankering for a turnaround may not have to wait too much longer. Why? Management has affirmed calendar 2025 revenue guidance of US$100-106 million – 55-65% better than previously. The company expects to be profitable by the end of 2025, as per generally accepted accounting principle (GAAP) measures. Avita had US$14.8 million of cash at the end of quarter, but also has a US$40 million loan from healthcare investor Orbimed. 'We expect to accumulate cash through 2026,' O'Toole says. From burns to bucks The US$100 million revenue target sounds like a stretch in the context of the US$18.5 million first quarter tally. So, too does the profitability target: Bell Potter forecasts negative calendar 2025 earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) of $25 million. Given Avita has three quarters of cash runway at current burn rates - excuse the pun- investors expect a capital raising. O'Toole has a different take, noting Avita products have a presence in every one of the approximate 125 US burns centres. 'Our salespeople know these centres very well and we should be able to convert those surgeons to Cohealyx," he says. O'Toole adds most of the wounds treated are 10-20% TBSA and thus suitable for Cohealyx with the Recell Go overlay. If the company obtained only a 10% of the cases suited to a dermal matrix, that would amount to more than US$40 million a year of revenue. Tiger in the tank On management's reckoning, Avita soon will have something to show for the US$373 million of losses accrued along the winding development path. As well as the Cohealyx "game changer', O'Toole cites an almost US$1 billion a year addressable market for Recell Mini. 'We haven't scratched the surface yet, its early days," he says. O'Toole adds that Avita has converted its sales team from being oriented to serving existing clients to a 'sales machine'. Armed with extra tiger in the sales tank and testimonials from grateful burns victims, Avita is ready to roar in the US. 'It's a heavy lift for the rest of the year, but we have all of the products ready to go now,' O'Toole says. In the meantime, investors will be watching cash burn like a hawk with a calculator - and if consistent profits emerge investors will be in raptors, that's for sure.
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Surgeons in California perform first ever successful bladder transplant
Surgeons in California have performed the first ever successful bladder transplant, aiding a patient who previously had his bladder and both kidneys removed as a result of cancer treatment and end-stage kidney disease. The treatment allowed the patient, 41-year-old father of four Oscar Larrainzar, to go off dialysis – although the surgery comes with considerable short- and long-term risks and unknowns. The bladder transplant was done by two surgeons who worked for years to develop the technique, which was used to transplant one kidney and a bladder recovered from a human donor. 'This surgery is a historic moment in medicine and stands to impact how we manage carefully selected patients with highly symptomatic 'terminal' bladders that are no longer functioning,' said Dr Inderbir Gill, the executive director of the University of Southern California Institute of Urology, and one of two surgeons who worked on the case, according to a press release. 'Transplantation is a life-saving and life-enhancing treatment option for many conditions affecting major organs, and now the bladder can be added to the list.' Gill performed the surgery with Dr Nima Nassiri of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Institute of Urgology. 'This first attempt at bladder transplantation has been over four years in the making,' Nassiri said, in a statement. 'For the appropriately selected patient, it is exciting to be able to offer a new potential option.' Patients who have their bladder removed most often have a portion of intestine repurposed to pass urine, often resulting in a host of new complications, including infections and digestive issues. Those complications have led doctors around the world to seek bladder transplant techniques for years. The transplant performed in early May has so far succeeded, and doctors said they are 'satisfied' with Larrainzar's recovery, though many unknowns remain. For instance, how Larrainzar's new bladder will function over time and how long he will need to be on immune suppression medication to prevent rejection of the organ. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The doctors plan to perform more bladder transplants as part of a clinical trial at UCLA Health, with the goal of better understanding potential complications and helping patients who suffer debilitating bladder conditions.
