Symani’s groundbreaking capabilities and milestones position it among the most transformative inventions of the year

MMI (Medical Microinstruments, Inc.), a robotics company dedicated to increasing treatment options and improving clinical outcomes for patients with complex conditions, today announced its Symani® Surgical System has been named to the TIME Best Inventions 2024 list. Symani was one of five inventions featured in the “Robotics” category and joined several other groundbreaking healthcare innovations across the full list.

The accolade comes amid a year of significant growth milestones for MMI and the Symani Surgical System. In April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted De Novo Classification to Symani, making it the only commercially available platform in the U.S. for reconstructive microsurgery. Weeks later, the system was used in its first clinical cases in the U.S. at Penn Medicine’s Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. The successful reconstructive extremity microsurgeries marked the first procedures of their kind in the U.S. and the start of a new era of microsurgery.

“The Symani Surgical System is a truly pioneering technology that is re-writing our historical definitions of ‘treatable’ and ‘untreatable,’ when it comes to complex medical conditions,” said Mark Toland, Chief Executive Officer of MMI. “The system has continually shown its ability to push the boundaries of medicine, as it did after completing a preclinical feasibility study for neurosurgical procedures, which are unchartered territory in surgical robotics. This recognition is a testament to MMI’s commitment to creating a new category of open surgical procedures and the tireless work of our entire team. We are honored to join the company of other trailblazers across all fields of innovation in the Best Inventions of 2024.”

The Symani Surgical System uniquely addresses the scale and complexities of microsurgery and supermicrosurgery, such as the anastomosis and suturing of small anatomical structures like blood and lymphatic vessels, during open surgical procedures. It features the world’s smallest surgical robotic wrist, called NanoWrist®, which enables surgeons to replicate the natural movements of the human hand at the micro scale. The system features a powerful combination of miniaturized instruments, tremor-reducing and motion-scaling technologies, ultimately increasing precision and control.

Those unique, advanced capabilities can help surgeons restore quality of life for more patients, accelerate the number of surgeons able to push the boundaries of complex procedures for delicate anatomy, and enable hospitals to expand their open surgical programs.

The Symani Surgical System has received regulatory approvals in 35 countries and has been a part of more than 1,000 clinical cases globally. In July, Symani secured approvals in Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Taiwan, marking a major expansion into Asia-Pacific, the fastest-growing microsurgery market in the world.

To compile this year's list, TIME solicited nominations from TIME editors and correspondents around the world, and through an online application process, paying special attention to growing fields—such as healthcare, AI, and green energy. TIME then evaluated each contender on a number of key factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition and impact.

Of the new list, TIME’s editors write: “The result is a list of 200 groundbreaking inventions (and 50 special mention inventions)—including the world's largest computer chip, a humanoid robot joining the workforce, and a bioluminescent houseplant—that are changing how we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible.”

To learn more about MMI and the Symani Surgical System, visit MMI’s website: https://mmimicro.com.

See TIME’s full list: time.com/best-inventions-2024

About MMI

MMI (Medical Microinstruments, Inc.) is on a mission to advance robotic technology that pushes the limits of soft tissue open surgery and opens new opportunities for surgeons to restore quality of life for more patients with complex conditions. The company was founded in 2015 near Pisa, Italy, and its proprietary Symani® Surgical System combines the world’s smallest wristed microinstruments with tremor-reducing and motion-scaling technologies to address significant unmet patient needs across the globe. This first-of-its-kind surgical robotic platform for open, soft tissue micro-level surgery can help address microvascular repair and lymphatic repair. In Europe, it also addresses peripheral nerve repair. The Symani System is authorized for use in the U.S. by the FDA and is a CE Marked medical device in Europe. MMI is backed by global investors including Fidelity Management & Research Company, Andera Partners, BioStar, Deerfield Management, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Panakès Partners, RA Capital, Sambatech, and Wellington Partners.

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