SamanTree Medical has secured $14m in funding to further develop and commercialise its Histolog Scanner in Europe and the US.
The Series B funding round was led by Relyens Innovation Santé, advised by Turenne Capital, with additional participation from new investors Mutuelles Impact, Wille Finance, Noshaq and Wallonie Entreprendre Life Sciences. Returning investors included Panakès Partners, BOM and b2venture.
The Histolog Scanner – which gained a CE mark in 2018 – uses ultra-fast confocal microscopy (UFCM) for imaging of fresh tissue during surgery, enabling quick real-time intraoperative assessment by pathologists and surgeons. UFCM is a technique that rapidly captures high-resolution, three-dimensional images of fluorescently labelled specimens.
The Switzerland-based company said that it plans for US market entry later in 2024. This move involves expanding the reach of the Histolog Scanner, boosting clinical trials, and working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to gain marketing authorisations.
In November 2022, the company announced the publication of the Enclosure prostate cancer study in the BJU International journal. The study evaluated the Histolog Scanner as an alternative to NeuroSAFE for intraoperative margin assessment during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).
RARP is a surgical procedure for removing the prostate gland using robotic technology. The technique is utilised to preserve the nerves responsible for urinary continence and erectile function, aiming to maintain these functions after the procedure. However, if cancer cells have already spread to these nerves, it runs the risk of the cancer coming back after the procedure. The Enclosure study showed that the Histolog Scanner resulted in a similar performance to the NeuroSAFE procedure, however with an 80% time reduction.
The company closed a Series A funding round in 2019, securing SFr9.5m ($10.61m) from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.
SamanTree’s CEO Olivier Delporte said: “This funding, coupled with our strengthened Board, will enable us to accelerate our innovation, expand globally, and enhance our digital solutions, thereby delivering greater value to patients.”
In January 2024, Enspectra Health secured FDA 510(k) clearance for its AI-powered VIO System for patients with non-melanoma skin cancer. It utilises a combination of reflectance confocal and multiphoton laser scanning microscopy to generate real-time, multispectral images of the skin.
