Pryfiber, an NLC venture, sets out to improve the quality of healthcare delivery by providing the next-generation endoscope.
We must face a challenging reality: the quality of our healthcare system is under pressure worldwide. There are shortages of medical staff and equipment, meaning our trusted healthcare professionals have to try and do more with less.
Pryfiber wants to relieve this pressure by providing surgeons with the next generation of endoscopes, starting with orthopaedic surgeons – specialists in the musculoskeletal system of bones, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles. In the USA and Europe collectively, orthopaedic surgeons carry out 3 million arthroscopy procedures yearly, placing Pryfiber’s first invention in a sizeable market.
Pryfiber is developing a single fibre optic-based visual device that will allow surgeons to see images that are currently unavailable, hard to access, or very expensive to acquire. Due to the miniaturisation of the endoscope, the device possesses microscopic capabilities, making the medical intervention less disruptive for the patient and easier to use for the surgeon. The ultra-thin and flexible endoscope provides much-needed support to the surgeon and reduces the patient’s discomfort. Current endoscopes are tailored to specific procedures, and Pryfiber wants to change this by supplying a universal endoscope with specialised tools for specific medical specialities.
Pryfiber has significant plans for the next generation of endoscopes, which span over three generations and involve artificial intelligence (AI). The first generation will be self-calibrating to get sharp images, while the second generation will be a ‘smart’ endoscope that can identify anatomical structures within the body, providing real-time information to the surgeon on structures without expensive alternative imaging tools. The third generation aims to carry out the endoscopic procedure automatically through the help of AI. This endoscope will be the new smarter, faster and safer surgeon’s assistant.
“The goal is to have a universal, easy-to-use visual tool for surgeons to rapidly support their patient assessment and treatment, causing minimal discomfort to their patients. We also want to create a tool that will help surgeons extend procedures outside the hospital, decreasing costs while providing the same quality of healthcare as in the hospital. Our next-generation endoscope does just that. The product is a unique optical device that can be used as an endoscope for various medical diagnostic procedures. ”
Thomas Vargoczky, CEO of Pryfiber
Thomas is passionate about improving the quality of healthcare delivery and believes that Pryfiber will fill a significant gap in the endoscope industry. He has extensive experience in medical device design and development from Hewlett Packard, Siemens Healthcare and IBM Watson companies over 20 years of tenure.
Currently, Pryfiber is developing prototypes to progress to in vitro studies, followed by clinical trials. The Advisory Board includes members from prominent healthcare organisations from the USA, Europe and the Asia Pacific. A team is being formed for product development, registration and validation. Collaboration partners are being actively pursued from each geography.