A medtech startup has raised £23 million ($28 million) in funding to develop microrobots designed to diagnose, treat and monitor neurological conditions.
These grain-of-rice-sized robots can deliver drugs, implant electrodes, collect live cell samples, and perform ultra-precise interventions within the brain.
The funding will propel the French medtech startup Robeauté towards human trials by 2026 and establish operations in the US as the company seeks FDA approval.
This new approach lies at the intersection of robotics, AI, physics, material sciences, chemistry, biology and medicine.
The robots – the size of a grain of rice – can safely carry out tasks in the brain such as delivering molecules, implanting electrodes and collecting cell or live-data samples.
Bertrand Duplat, cofounder and chief executive of Robeauté, said: ‘There is unexplored potential for microrobots in medicine. Current neurosurgery techniques are invasive and can be fatal, whilst it is difficult for treatment to pass the blood-brain barrier and get to its intended target.
‘We’re creating microrobots that will bring unparalleled access to the brain with personalised, precision medicine that can transform treatments and patient outcomes.’
Joana Cartocci, cofounder and chief operating officer at Robeauté, said: ‘We like to think of our microrobot as a brain gardener that can tend to the pathological organ from within, with a standard carrier that can be adapted to fit a variety of extensions. Our first application is advanced biopsy, but from there, the potential is boundless, unlocked through providing safe access and unprecedented site-specific data.’
The funding round was led by Plural, Cherry Ventures and Kindred Ventures, with participation from LocalGlobe, Think.Health and previous investors APEX Ventures.
Ian Hogarth, partner at Plural, said: ‘Robeauté’s technology doesn’t just have the potential to transform neurosurgery, it could also fundamentally change how drug companies find the best solutions for patients. Gathering patient brain data will teach us more about often incurable diseases, enabling more personalised treatment.’
Over the past eight years, the team has established over 50 patents and developed unique knowledge from creating and assembling a tiny engine, propeller, steering and tracking device, enabling surgeons to monitor the microrobot’s movement through the brain.
The technology is currently in animal studies as a biopsy tool that will lay the groundwork for later use for treatment and real-time monitoring, which will be achieved through partnerships with industrial partners and research labs.
