FDA clears Galaxy robotic surgery system, sending lung cancer diagnosis to a new frontier

A surgical robot system developed by Noah Medical and newly cleared by the FDA is out of this world—or, at least, the current world of bronchoscopy procedures.

Bronchoscopies have already gotten a major tech upgrade in recent years as robotic-assisted approaches have increasingly become the norm. The minimally invasive procedure involves sending a camera-equipped catheter down a patient’s throat and into the passageways of the lungs—often with the help of a robotic controller—where tools attached to the catheter can gather samples of potentially cancerous lung nodules for further testing.

Noah Medical’s Galaxy system, meanwhile, aims to bring the technology even further into the future by adding in real-time imaging software and more sanitary single-use components. The Silicon Valley startup announced the system’s FDA clearance on Thursday.

“While various technologies to diagnose lung cancer have been utilized over time, the diagnostic yield has remained relatively low,” CEO Jian Zhang, Ph.D., said in the release. “The Galaxy system is designed to close this gap in the market, giving clinicians a safe and easy-to-use platform to potentially improve diagnostic yield and produce better clinical outcomes.”

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