by
John R. Fischer, Senior Reporter | June 01, 2023
Enos single-access RAS system (photo courtesy of Titan Medical)
Intuitive Surgical has paid $7.5 million for certain intellectual property belonging to Titan Medical, a Canadian company with patents for technology designed to improve robotic assisted surgery (RAS), including through a single access point.
Based in California, Intuitive is known for its da Vinci surgical system, which is designed for deep and narrow access to tissue in the body, and the Ion Endoluminal System used for robotic-assisted bronchoscopy.
Under the nonexclusive license agreement, Intuitive has access to all of Titan’s IP, except for a particular IP that is exclusively licensed to Medtronic as part of a June 2020 agreement.
Titan, which is the manufacturer of the Enos single-access RAS system, remains the owner of its licensed IP, and retains the associated rights, including the ability to continue developing and commercializing technologies under its IP and the right to license it to other parties.
Since November, Titan, which is headquartered in Toronto and has a U.S. location in North Carolina, has been
conducting a strategic review of possible options for reducing its operating costs, including a corporate sale, merger, other business combinations, strategic investments, or other significant transactions.
In March, the company said it would consider selling and licensing all or a portion of its assets, including intellectual property.
The Enos single-access RAS system includes multi-articulated instruments that increase the range of motion that surgeons have in confined spaces, and position the end effectors for grasping, suturing, cutting, and coagulation. Its open-architecture design enables it to adapt to new functionality and end effectors.
It also has a mobile patient cart that comes with a 25 millimeter insertion tube, two articulating arms, and 2D and 3D high-definition cameras. Surgeons can elevate, tilt and pan it to better survey surgical sites at all times, and the cart allows for quick, multi-quadrant positioning with easy-to-load instruments.
Additionally, the Enos surgeon workstation has a 3D high-definition display, is highly mobile, and covers a smaller footprint.
