How Noah Medical’s robotic Galaxy system goes deep into the lungs

Noah Medical’s Galaxy system for lung biopsy uses a robotic bronchoscope to reach and sample for suspected cancers deep in a patient’s lungs.

But the brightest star in the Galaxy system isn’t that disposable, robotic scope, but rather Noah Medical’s tool-in-lesion tomosynthesis (TiLT) technology, designed to help surgeons retrieve samples that will provide a definitive answer from the pathology lab.

Medical Design & Outsourcing spoke with Noah Medical VP of Engineering John Shen to learn more about how the system works, how it was developed, and potential applications of the technology.

Noah Medical VP of Engineering John Shen [Photo courtesy of Noah Medical]

“Robotic systems are hellishly complex,” Shen said. “There are many, many, many systems or components that in their own right are complex devices, and they all need to be working together …
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Noah Medical presents positive first-in-human surgical robot data

The Galaxy System. [Image courtesy of Noah Medical]Noah Medical announced new data demonstrating the navigational success and safety of its Galaxy surgical robotic system.

Data came from the bronchoscopic visualization and access platform’s first-in-human trial. Noah presented it at the American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology conference (AABIP 2023) in Chicago.

According to a news release, the presentation marked the public debut of data from the clinical trial conducted in Australia. Results from the FRONTIER study established Galaxy’s ability to successfully navigate to peripheral pulmonary nodules. Galaxy accomplished this while ensuring safety during the bronchoscopy procedure and up to seven days post-procedure.

In the study, Galaxy targeted 19 nodules, with data showing 100% successful navigation and 100% tool-in-lesion confirmation. Galaxy produced a diagnostic yield between 89.5% and 94.7%, Noah Medical said, t…

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First U.S. procedure conducted with Noah Medical surgical robot

The Galaxy System. [Image courtesy of Noah Medical]Noah Medical announced the first use of its Galaxy surgical robot system in the U.S., marking the platform’s commercial release.

San Carlos, California-based Noah Medical received FDA clearance for the Galaxy system in March. The system provides bronchoscopic visualization and access. These capabilities provide diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in patient airways.

Galaxy features advanced imaging technologies that provide real-time location updates for potentially cancerous lesions. Noah Medical designed the technology to improve tool-in-lesion and diagnostic yield.

Dr. Kyle Hogarth conducted the first U.S. procedure at the University of Chicago Medicine.

“The Galaxy System is the first robot for peripheral lung navigation that includes integrated imaging, which is the solution bronchoscopists have been asking for,” said Hogarth. “We are excited to be the first hospital in the United States…

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Noah Medical reports positive data for surgical robot

The Galaxy System. [Image courtesy of Noah Medical]Noah Medical today announced positive accuracy results from a study of its Galaxy System surgical robot platform.

San Carlos, California-based Noah Medical designed Galaxy and its accessories to provide bronchoscopic visualization and access. These capabilities provide diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in patient airways.

The system features advanced imaging technologies that provide real-time location updates for potentially cancerous lesions. Noah said in a news release that it designed the technology to improve tool-in-lesion and diagnostic yield.

Galaxy received FDA clearance in March of this year. Last week, Noah Medical raised $150 million to support its surgical robot platform.

The MATCH study tested the “tool-in-lesion” accuracy of the Galaxy System. Noah Medical published results for review in the Journal of Bronchology & Interventional Pulmonology.

About the results …
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The biggest medical device VC deals of 2022

Enable Injections, which makes the enFuse device, raised $215 million in January 2022. [Photo courtesy of Enable Injections]

Last year was definitely a slower year for medical device VC deals than the year before.

Biofourmis was the only medical device developer in the 10 largest healthcare VC deals of 2022, according to a ranking provided to Medical Design & Outsourcing by Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

Because we love devices at Medical Design & Outsourcing, we asked SVB for a ranking of 2022’s largest medical device VC deals after Biofourmis, which raised $325 million in its 2022 series D round. (The year before that, CMR Surgical’s $600 million Series D financing round was the largest medical device VC deal of 2021.)

SVB obliged, once again drawing upon its own proprietary information and data from Pitchbook. The dealmakers include device developers with innovative methods for …

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FDA clears surgical robot from Noah Medical

The Galaxy System. [Image courtesy of Noah Medical]Noah Medical announced that it received FDA clearance for its Galaxy System for robotic-navigated bronchoscopy.

San Carlos, California-based Noah Medical designed Galaxy and its accessories to provide bronchoscopic visualization and access. These capabilities provide diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in patient airways.

The system features advanced imaging technologies that provide real-time location updates for potentially cancerous lesions. Noah said in a news release that it designed the technology to improve tool-in-lesion and diagnostic yield.

“While various technologies to diagnose lung cancer have been utilized over time, the diagnostic yield has remained relatively low,” said Jian Zhang, Noah Medical founder and CEO. “The Galaxy System is designed to close this gap in the market, giving clinicians a safe and easy-to-use platform to potentially improve diagnostic yield and produce better clinical…

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J&J’s Auris alleges former employees brought trade secrets to new company Noah Medical

Johnson & Johnson‘s Auris Health surgical robotics business filed litigation this week alleging misappropriation of trade secrets by Noah Medical.

In its complaint, Auris alleges “shameless, systematic and ongoing misappropriation of trade secrets” by Noah. It named former Auris employees Enrique Romo, Diana Cardona Ujueta and Kenneth Nip.

Among other things, J&J alleges that the three former employees collectively misappropriated at least 26,000 Auris, Verb and Cilag documents. Those documents comprise 81 gigabytes of data. According to the complaint, that data includes “significant trade secret material.”

Those documents feature source code, designs and test cases, according to the complaint. All have direct relevance to the individual defendants’ work at Noah, the company added.

“There is incontrovertible evidence that Noah used at least some of these stolen trade secrets: a Noah patent applicat…

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Medical robotics company Noah Medical opens research centers in California

Noah Medical’s Galaxy System. [Image from Noah Medical]Noah Medical announced today that it unveiled a new research and training facility and a research and development facility in California.

The 10,000 square foot research and training facility in Sunnyvale, California, and the 15,000 square foot R&D facility in San Carlos, California, will be used to pursue new medical robotics indications.

According to a news release, Noah Medical — founded by medical robotics entrepreneur Jian Zhang — aims to utilize its new, state-of-the-art facilities to pursue disruptive applications of robotics that have been “left unaddressed by current platforms.”

The Sunnyvale facility will be used to complete the testing of Noah Medical’s first commercial robotic system, the Galaxy System. The Galaxy System was designed as a robotic-assisted platform for minimally invasive peripheral lung navigation, with Noah Medical aiming to file for FDA clearance…

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