RISE of Carina™ - Ronovo Surgical unveils U.S. training base and modular robotic surgery platform at SRS 2024

ORLANDO, FLORIDA -- Ronovo Surgical announced the establishment of its U.S.-based training center and unveiled its modular Carina Platform during a remarkable global debut at SRS 2024, the annual congress of the Society of Robotic Surgery. This conference served as the premiere platform to showcase Carina to a global audience and announce the launch of the Ronovo Institute for Surgical Excellence (RISE), the company’s first international location that serves as a training and collaboration base with a global clinical audience in mind.

With leading surgical experts from around the world presenting the latest clinical research on Carina, the novel modular robotic platform garnered significant attention from top international surgeons at SRS 2024. Featuring an ultra-compact footprint and the ability to perform smooth and precise maneuvers, Carina uniquely blends the advantages of both single-pedestal and modular robotic platforms.

The first-ever exhibition of Carina attracted many international surgical experts to test-drive the system.

More than 50 surgeons of various specialties from around the world participated in private demonstrations with the Ronovo team where they test-drove Carina on a laparoscopic training model. Many were amazed at the speed of innovation at which Ronovo has delivered performance comparable to that of commercially available surgical robots. Surgeons also applauded the establishment of RISE for making Carina more accessible and expressed strong interest in developing courses to teach and promote the innovative robotic platform.

Dr. Fred Moll (far right), “father of surgical robots” and founder of Intuitive Surgery, test-drives Carina.

Industry luminaries also participated in Carina test-drives. Dr. Fred Moll, founder of Intuitive Surgical and a pioneer in robotic surgery, was among the participants and congratulated the Ronovo team, “you guys have really done a great job – this feels very good, just like a Da Vinci.”

Understanding unmet surgical needs: the key to building a successful surgical robot

“We spent 12 months engaging directly with surgeons to understand their needs and frustrations with robotic surgery,” said Dr. John Ma, CEO of Ronovo. “We have taken a unique approach, diverging from traditional single-pedestal surgical robots to address these needs.”

Focusing on the theme of “Flexibility, Adaptability, Affordability” at SRS 2024, Ronovo demonstrated how Carina meets these needs by offering more efficient operating room workflows, customizable surgical operations, as well as easier access and setup - all of which ultimately deliver cost-effective solutions and high utilization rates.

Ronovo CEO, Dr. John Ma, shares company updates during a plenary session at SRS 2024.

Leading colorectal surgeons Dr. Eduardo Parra-Davila (U.S.) and Dr. Armando Melani (Brazil) shared their hands-on experiences with Carina to a standing room-only lunch symposium audience. The highlight of the session featured their use of Carina in low anterior resection procedures that took full advantage of deploying 5 to 6 independent robotic arms. Benefits of modularity were emphasized, underscoring both the flexibility and configurability of Carina that gave surgeons more control as well as the adaptability of its robotic arms that provided better anatomical reach and access, enabling surgeons to perform a wide range of critical maneuvers during surgery.

Dr. Parra-Davila also emphasized the potential of Carina for more clinical applications, as Ronovo has already successfully completed clinical trials in China across four major specialties — urology, gynecology, general surgery, and thoracic surgery — with 100% success rate and positive patient prognosis.

Multifaceted: Experts from multiple surgical specialties share their Carina experience

Prof. Zheng Bin, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University, presented on using Carina to perform an esophagectomy with analysis of procedural preparation, intraoperative performance, and postoperative outcomes. Noting ease of use without needing to change or place new port sites, Prof. Bin concluded that “Carina-assisted esophageal cancer surgery is safe and feasible. Carina may be a viable alternative [to other robotic systems commercially available]. Studies have shown that the modular robotic system offers comparable results to existing single-pedestal systems, and Carina may be a practical possibility for future procedures.”

Prof. Taiyuan Li, Director of General Surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, shared clinical trial data and discussed various trocar placement methods and instrument arm configurations. He praised the system's stability and the absence of serious postoperative complications, underscoring the safety and effectiveness of Carina.

Prof. Hecheng Li, Director of Thoracic Surgery at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital presented clinical trial data that demonstrated Carina’s comparable performance to existing robots in thoracoscopic surgery and outlined various port placements strategies for using Carina.  His findings confirmed that Carina is safe and feasible for robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. When comparing Carina’s performance with that of Da Vinci in a cohort of robotic-assisted lobectomy procedures, Prof. Li stated that “Carina has potential advantages in lobectomy, including shorter operative times, reduced bleeding, shorter hospital stays, and similar complication rates. These results suggest that Carina could be a superior alternative”.

Prof. Mei Ji, Director of the Minimally Invasive Gynecology Center at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, shared insights from her participation in the gynecologic cohort of the clinical trials. She addressed how the reliability, safety, and stability of Carina’s performance addressed key challenges in gynecologic surgeries faced by existing surgical robots, such as cost, learning curves, and space limitations.  She also praised Carina for its dexterity, ease of movement, and precision. Prof. Ji pointed out that port placements associated with use of Carina are similar to traditional laparoscopic layouts, easing the learning curve for surgeons transitioning from laparoscopic to robotic-assisted gynecologic procedures.

Dr. Hongkai Wang, Director of Urology at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, presented his clinical experience – both on-console and bedside – in multiple sessions. He concluded that, “Carina’s innovative modular design allows for flexible configuration, offering more options for urological surgeries. It is easy to learn and install but also well-suited for teams of surgical assistants and nurses. The system’s small footprint provided ample operating space and open overhead view at the bedside reduce communication conflicts during radical prostatectomy and partial nephrectomy procedures.”

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