Medtronic, a global leader in medical technology, announced on October 29, 2020, that it has recently acquired privately-held Ai Biomed Corp., maker of the PTeye™ parathyroid detection system. The only probe-based technology of its kind, the PTeye system is designed to help confirm parathyroid tissue identified visually by the physician during thyroid surgery. The technology behind the PT-EYE was developed by Anita Mahadevan-Jansen’s research group at Vanderbilt University and was licensed by AiBiomed. Mahadevan-Jansen serves as a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Biophotonics Center at Vanderbilt University.
According to Roshan Shetty, co-founder and CEO of AiBiomed Corp, “The collaboration with Prof. Mahadevan-Jansen at Vanderbilt University and Dr. Carmen Solarzano at Vanderbilt University Medical School, was critical both in shepherding the PT-EYE technology through the de Novo process for FDA approval and in ensuring smooth adoption by the endocrine surgery community.”
The acquisition of Ai Biomed Corp. expands upon intraoperative technology like the NIM Vital platform and supports the Medtronic goal of using innovative technologies to improve head and neck surgery. The PTeye system helps confirm parathyroid tissue identified visually by the physician, which is a crucial step in thyroid surgery.
The most common type of thyroid surgery involves partial or full removal of the thyroid glands. During thyroid procedures, it is important for surgeons to identify and preserve parathyroid tissue so that it is not inadvertently removed, which may result in hypocalcemia, or low calcium levels. Hypocalcemia can cause numbness in fingers and toes, muscle cramps in legs and feet, irritability, and seizures.
The acquisition of Ai Biomed Corp. is the seventh in a series of tuck-in acquisitions that Medtronic has made in calendar year 2020.
Medtronic plc (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services, and solutions companies – alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals, and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.