Robeauté, a pioneering medtech startup, is transforming the landscape of neurosurgery with its development of neurosurgical microrobots. The company has recently announced a significant milestone, securing $28 million in funding. This funding round was led by prominent investors Plural, Cherry Ventures, and Kindred Ventures, with additional participation from LocalGlobe, Think.Health, and previous investors APEX Ventures. Renowned firm Brainlab also made a strategic investment, underscoring the technology’s potential to revolutionize brain health. The new capital will propel the continuation of technology development, the initiation of human trials slated for 2026, and the establishment of US operations in anticipation of FDA approval and market entry.
Addressing Challenges in Neurosurgery
Neurological disorders pose significant challenges, particularly in early diagnosis where intervention could have the highest impact. Despite advancements, modern neurosurgery often relies on traditional and relatively crude techniques, with stiff surgical tools being pushed through the brain in a straight line. This method hampers multi-site access and precise targeting. Moreover, pharmaceutical treatments confront complexities, such as crossing the blood-brain barrier, making it difficult to reach and effectively treat the target sites.
Robeauté’s revolutionary microrobots, comparable in size to a grain of rice, navigate through the brain’s extracellular matrix via curved routes, ensuring safe access to multiple sites of interest. These tiny, modular devices are designed for specific missions depending on the pathology, making them versatile tools for delivering molecules, implanting electrodes, and collecting cellular or live-data samples through sensors. This capability could dramatically enhance our understanding and treatment of neuropathologies. As microrobots promise unparalleled precision, they stand to resolve the limitations that have long plagued conventional neurosurgery approaches.
The Visionaries Behind Robeauté
The innovation behind Robeauté is partly driven by Bertrand Duplat, a veteran in robotics with 30 years of experience at institutions like McGill University and the European Space Agency. Prior to co-founding Robeauté, he founded Virtools, a 3D software company later sold to Dassault Systèmes. His venture into neurosurgical microrobots was personally motivated by his mother’s diagnosis of glioblastoma. Alongside co-founder Joana Cartocci, an operations specialist, they established Robeauté. Over the past eight years, the team has launched over 50 patents and garnered unique expertise in creating and assembling the components necessary for the microrobots, such as the tiny engine, propeller, and steering and tracking mechanisms which allow surgeons to monitor their movement precisely within the brain.
Animal studies are currently exploring the technology’s utility as a biopsy tool, forming the foundation for future use in treatment and real-time monitoring. These advancements will be achieved through strategic partnerships with industrial entities and research laboratories. The accumulation of proven results from such studies is expected to pave the way for human trials, thereby advancing the technological readiness level significantly and gradually bringing these microrobots closer to clinical applications.
Strategic Investments and Future Plans
Brainlab’s strategic investment emphasizes their commitment to advancing neurological care, foreseeing a future where Robeauté’s technology alleviates current constraints and promotes innovative neurosurgical approaches. This investment will also bolster Robeauté’s expansion into the US market, where the company aims to secure FDA approval before proceeding with European regulatory processes.
Bertrand Duplat, co-founder and CEO of Robeauté, highlighted the expansive potential of microrobots in medicine, contrasting the invasiveness and fatal risks of current neurosurgery techniques with their difficulty in treating areas beyond the blood-brain barrier. He emphasized that Robeauté’s microrobots will grant unparalleled access to the brain, enabling precision medicine that can transform both treatments and patient outcomes. The strategic influx of funds not only reinforces the company’s financial backbone but also fosters confidence in their vision and long-term objectives among stakeholders.
A Paradigm Shift in Neurosurgery
Co-founder and COO Joana Cartocci elaborated on the company’s vision, asserting that their microrobots will instigate a paradigm shift in how neurosurgery is approached. By likening the microrobot to a ‘brain gardener,’ Cartocci illustrated its ability to tend to the brain from within, adaptable through various extensions. She underscored the potential for advanced biopsy applications as the starting point, with boundless opportunities unlocked through safe access and site-specific data provision. Proud of their European roots and achievements, Cartocci expressed eagerness for the next phase of the company’s growth as they expand to the US, working with regulatory authorities to bring their device to patients.
The notion of microrobots functioning as precision gardeners within the intricate landscape of the brain introduces a new understanding and capability in neurosurgery. Through adaptive functionalities, these microrobots will not only perform advanced biopsies but also facilitate detailed mapping and drug delivery to previously inaccessible regions, thereby redefining therapeutic paradigms organically and innovatively.
Investor Confidence and Industry Impact
Robeauté, an innovative medtech startup, is changing the field of neurosurgery by developing advanced neurosurgical microrobots. Recently, the company announced a major achievement by securing $28 million in funding. This notable funding round was spearheaded by leading investors Plural, Cherry Ventures, and Kindred Ventures. Other contributors included LocalGlobe, Think.Health, and existing backers APEX Ventures. Additionally, Brainlab, a respected firm, made a strategic investment, emphasizing the promise of this cutting-edge technology to revolutionize brain health care. The influx of new funds will support the ongoing development of their technology, the launch of human trials scheduled for 2026, and the establishment of US operations as they gear up for FDA approval and eventual market entry. This development marks a significant step forward in the medical field, potentially leading to groundbreaking improvements in neurosurgical procedures and patient care.
