Olympus Corporation (Olympus) and Revival Healthcare Capital (Revival) have become founding partners in a new company that developing gastrointestinal robotics technology.

Swan EndoSurgical aims to drive endoluminal robotics advancements. This area of robotics strives to empower more physicians to safely perform innovative techniques, thereby enhancing patient access to safer treatment options that help improved recovery times. Endoluminal robotics could potentially create new and significantly enhanced minimally invasive treatment options for major unmet medical needs by boosting precision and efficiency in procedures addressing ergonomic strain for healthcare professionals.

“This partnership marks a significant milestone in our strategic initiative to advance endoluminal robotics,” Olympus Representative Executive Officer/President/CEO Bob White said. “We are excited to enter this collaboration that we expect to play a pivotal role in reshaping the GI market by expanding procedural capabilities for physicians. This will allow the delivery of transformative, organ-sparing care that enhances outcomes for a broad patient population.”

For decades, endoscopy—placing a flexible camera into an existing body orifice—has yielded early and accurate diagnoses of conditions such as GI tract cancer. In recent years, specialists—primarily gastroenterologists—have begun performing endoscopic therapeutic procedures, such as cancer resection, by inserting instruments through the endoscope. However, manual endoscopes and their instruments have limitations that make many advanced procedures within the GI tract lumen challenging and not widely available globally. 

“Two AdvaMed members announced a unique deal in the medtech space—the co-founding of a third company to develop a specific medical technology that holds promise in the gastroenterology space,” AdvaMed President/CEO Scott Whitaker said. “Olympus Corporation, which is based in Japan, and U.S.-based Revival Healthcare Capital will be investing in the United States, bringing good jobs and strengthening medtech’s already strong manufacturing and R&D presence in America. This is a good sign that the medtech ecosystem is getting stronger. Congratulations to AdvaMed board member Todd M. Pope and Robert J. White and their teams.”

The development of an endoluminal robot, with its ability to easily maneuver within the GI tract and deploy flexible arms, provides the opportunity for more patients to benefit from safe and effective procedures, potentially avoiding invasive surgery, according to Olympus. This innovation allows for the early, safe, and effective treatment of lesions or tumors in the GI tract relative to current therapeutic options. Furthermore, the technology has the potential for application in numerous other disease areas.

Headquartered in the United States, Swan EndoSurgical has assembled a leadership team of highly experienced industry professionals who will drive technical, clinical, and commercial development of the robotic platform. The startup is focused on developing endoluminal surgical robotics to create effective treatment of lesions or tumors in the GI tract relative to current therapeutic options.

Revival Healthcare Capital is an investment firm focused on the medtech sector. Revival specializes in transformative external innovation partnerships and other opportunities where its team of experienced operators and investors believes it can provide leadership, resources, and deep sector insights—beyond its capital—to further support companies’ growth strategies.

Olympus is a global medical technology company that provides solutions and services for early detection, diagnosis, and minimally invasive treatment, aiming to improve patient outcomes by elevating the standard of care in targeted disease states. For more than 100 years, Olympus has produced products that deliver optimal outcomes for its customers worldwide.