Panda Surgical

Panda Surgical Limited is a University College London (UCL) spinout company founded in 2022 by Manios Dimitrakakis (CEO), UCLH neurosurgeon Hani Marcus (CMO), and UCL Professor Danail Stoyanov (Scientific Advisor). The company was established to translate the technology developed during Dimitrakakis's PhD in handheld robotic devices for neurosurgery into a clinical product. The founding team combines expertise in robotics engineering and clinical neurosurgery, with Professor Stoyanov having prior experience with a med-tech exit to Olympus and an affiliation with Medtronic, and Mr. Marcus being a consultant neurosurgeon specializing in pituitary and skull base tumors.

The company is developing a next-generation handheld robotics platform to improve the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive neurosurgery. This system provides surgeons with enhanced dexterity, control, and decision support for operating in confined spaces deep within the brain and spine. The platform features a reusable, lightweight, motorized handle controller that connects to a series of interchangeable, single-use wristed surgical tools—such as graspers, scissors, and dissectors—that are only 3mm in diameter. This design allows for delicate maneuvers, motion scaling, and tremor filtration at a fraction of the cost of larger robotic systems. The business model addresses the challenges surgeons face with conventional instruments in minimally invasive procedures, which can limit access and increase the risk of complications. By providing a more accessible and cost-effective solution, Panda Surgical aims to enable more hospitals to offer complex neurosurgical procedures, reducing referral costs and improving patient outcomes.

Panda Surgical's development has been supported by significant funding. The company secured a seed investment of £1 million ($1.24M) in May 2023 from PrimaNova Technologies. It has also received multiple grants from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), including a £45,211 i4i FAST award in May 2023 and over £1 million from an i4i Product Development Award in late 2024 to advance the platform towards its first-in-human clinical trial. The company has completed a successful in-vivo preclinical study, marking a key milestone toward regulatory approval in the US and Europe. Panda Surgical plans to raise an additional $6 million to expand its team and product portfolio and to finance the first-in-human trials required for FDA submission.

Keywords: handheld robotics, neurosurgery, minimally invasive surgery, medical devices, UCL spinout, surgical robotics, medtech, dexterity enhancement, keyhole neurosurgery, brain surgery, spine surgery, surgical instruments, robotic-assisted surgery, AI in surgery, decision support systems, pituitary tumors, skull base surgery, surgical innovation, Medtronic, medical robotics