Local medical technology firm EndoMaster is set to launch the world's first robotic-assisted system that can remove tumours from the intestines and stomach without making incisions.
Those surgical methods involve incision, which could possibly lead to scars, pain and the removal of tissue surrounding the tumour and even portions of the intestines, which may lead to the loss of organ function.But EndoMaster's invention, called the Master System, requires no cuts to the skin, and the pincers enter the body through natural orifices, said the firm's chief executive Goh Seow Ping.
Local start-ups are involved in a wide range of technologies and devices such as medical implants, surgical robotics and AI-powered medical solutions, largely in the areas of in-vitro diagnostics, cardiology and ophthalmology, said Enterprise Singapore's director for healthcare and biomedical Johnny Teo.
Last year, the public healthcare clusters supported more than 100 medtech projects through clinical advisory, co-development and test-bedding. "This allows medtech companies to enlarge their market size and gain more opportunities in clinical partnerships, test-bedding and investments," he added. When Singapore Eye Research Institute honorary principal investigator Mohamed Dirani conducted a study on more than 3,000 children aged six months to six years in 2008, he found that 11 per cent of them already had myopia.