BELLEFONTE, PA, November 22, 2022 – Actuated Medical, Inc. has been awarded a continuation Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health – National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH-NIDDK) entitled “An active disposable cap for endoscope tip stabilization and complete visualization, and dissection of serrated sessile polyps.”

Nearly 15% of the 7 million endoscopic polyp removal (polypectomy) procedures performed annually in the U.S., as a part of the regimen for colorectal cancer prevention, are considered complex. Many are large polyps (≥2cm). There is a lack of practical accessories that aid resection of these complex polyps, while also not interfering with the electrosurgical tools used in the working channel of the endoscope. The GripTract device is a disposable endoscopic accessory that enables physician-controlled tissue manipulation to facilitate complex polypectomy procedures like endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) – a technique that reduces the risks of reseeding potentially malignant lesions or producing incomplete resections.

“The GripTract device is an endoscopic accessory that gives doctors ‘a third hand’ so that they can manipulate tissue to improve visualization during complex colonoscopies. The clinical goal is to minimize the need to switch to open procedures to remove the tissue. Open procedures have increased surgical complication risks, recovery time and cost.” said Maureen L. Mulvihill, Actuated Medical President, CEO, and Co-Founder.