Sutrue, a UK-based medtech company, is seeking investment to help take its automated stitching devices to market.
The patented devices have relied on 3D printing technologies through the prototyping phase, and have been designed to modernise the still-ancient methods of medical stitching. This traditional process is said to be slow and puts millions of people at risk of HIV and Hepatitis B and C through accidental puncturing of the skin.
Sutrue was founded in 2012 and has since launched two medical stitching devices, one handheld and a second robotic/ endoscopic version which has been successfully tested on a Zeus medical robot at the Royal Brompton Hospital. The devices enclose industry-standard needles in a cartridge, meaning the capabilities are the same, but the safety is enhanced. Sutrue believes this will help reduce the number of injuries that occur to healthcare professionals significantly.
These devices are now advanced prototypes and ready to go through regulation. The Manufacturing Technology Centre is overseeing the design-to-manufacture process, harnessing GE Additive metal 3D printing technology, with five NHS hospitals expressing interest in trialling the devices. Sutrue also has a veterinary version nearing commercialisation, and is in talks with an international veterinary distributor.
The company is now looking to bring new investors on board, and this spring will have a presence at multiple trade shows and conferences to showcase its technology. Having previously keynoted at TCT Show 2016, the company will be exploring medical robotics in a talk at the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Industry Showcase on 12th March 2019, and from 15th-16th May 2019, will be exhibiting at the Med-Tech Innovation Expo at the NEC in Birmingham.
To date, the company has received public and private investment, including backing from the UK’s NHS Innovation Centre, and is also actively seeking grants with the help of Innovate UK. Sutrue is now fundraising through the Envestry platform, while further information can be obtained via Nia Dokova, the company’s director: nia@sutrue.com