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Every year, more than 250 million people undergo needle-based
procedures, such as biopsies. Unfortunately, 1 in 10 sustain nerve damage while
2 in 10 are re-called for a repeat procedure as a direct result of needle
misplacement due to poor visibility and deflection of needle tip. This not only
increase patient anxiety, but impose a significant burden on the healthcare
system. It is estimated that damages cost healthcare providers over $1 billion annually,
and developing new technologies that increase visibility can significantly
reduce procedure time and complications.
The UK-based startup Active Needle Technology is determined to help
doctors perform needle-based procedures with greater accuracy and reliability,
and aim to become the gold standard in ultrasound-guided needle interventional
procedures. They are developing a handheld device with the aim
of providing users with real-time imagery of the procedure. The device induce ultra-frequency
pulsation or micro-vibration to standard medical needles, making the needle
highly visible in color on standard Doppler ultrasound. The vibration further reduces
insertion force, which in turn reduces needle tip deflection.
Poor visibility under ultrasound guidance and deflection of the needle
tip are major concerns for clinicians, increasing procedure time and numerous
post-operative complications, such as nerve damage and internal bleeding, as
well as patient discomfort. Active Needle Technology has developed an
innovative medical device that allow clinicians to see a standard medical
needle in color during ultrasound-guided needle procedures. The technology
represents a significant improvement over currently available technologies and
could revolutionize the healthcare system, benefiting patients, clinicians and
healthcare providers. It could significantly reduce inaccuracies, the risk of
repeat biopsy and time taken on the procedure, saving millions annually in
costs, while increasing hospital capacity and reducing patient anxiety and
discomfort.
The startup has conducted an independent market survey, involving
experts from the EU and USA, to validate the problems and identify the market
need for their proposition. They found that only 10% of the participating
clinicians could confidently visualize the needle, and all the clinicians
showed interest in using the technology either themselves or for colleagues in
their practice. This highlight the huge clinical impact of the technology,
increasing confidence and providing safer and more efficient procedures.
Active Needle Technology was founded by Ian Quirk and Muhammad Sadiq,
and the technology is the outcome of research carried out by Sadiq and Graeme
McLeod. The startup was an entrant of MassChallenge 2016, and has previously
been part of OneStart Europe. Through a crowdfunding campaign on SyndicateRoom
in March 2017, they successfully secured over £350,000, overfunding its
£250,000 target, with the lead investor being Oxford Technology Management. The
startup plans to use the funds raised to progress the device to pre-production standard,
testing and into regulatory approval.
