REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cardica, Inc. today announced that the Department of Precision Engineering in conjunction with the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Tokyo will begin development of an Intelligent Surgical Instrument (ISI) cardiac surgery robot, incorporating Cardica’s C-Port(R) Flex-A(R) Anastomosis System (Flex-A System) to connect blood vessels during surgical procedures. Research and development for the cardiac surgery ISI is funded by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, with industrial support from both Olympus and Terumo Corporations.
It is anticipated that the cardiac surgery ISI to be developed by the University of Tokyo will be easy to handle and minimize medical staff stress during an operation. In addition, the University of Tokyo intends to design the ISI to enhance the benefits of endoscopic surgery by integrating Japan’s advanced technologies in endoscopic technology, precision machinery engineering, optics, material science and information technology.
“We selected Cardica’s Flex-A system based on its potential advantages in minimally invasive cardiac surgery and robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery,” commented Dr. Ichiro Sakuma, Professor, Department of Precision Engineering at the University of Tokyo. “I am eager to take cardiac robotic surgery to the next level by coupling this and other leading edge technologies for superior patient results.”
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking” statements, including all statements regarding the future development and potential clinical advantages of the Intelligent Surgical Instrument for cardiac surgery and the potential increase in closed-chest CABG and related anticipated shift in surgical practices. Any statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. The words “anticipated,” “will,” “intends,” “expect,” “potential” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause Cardica’s results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including that Cardica’s current and any future products may never gain any significant degree of market acceptance; that any future Intelligent Surgical Instruments face development, regulatory, reimbursement and manufacturing risks, as well as other risks detailed from time to time in Cardica’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2009. Cardica expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein. You are encouraged to read Cardica’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov.
Cardica, Inc.
