Siemens Healthineers and Philips receive ARPA-H funding to advance autonomous robotics for stroke treatment
ARPA-H announced up to $175.3 million in funding to companies and universities, including Siemens Healthineers and Philips North America, to develop autonomous intravascular robots to expand timely treatment coverage for stroke patients. Siemens Healthineers will receive $31.1 million, and Philips will receive $33.7 million, with the project aiming to reduce accessibility gaps in thrombectomy procedures through remote robotic technology.
Core Summary
- Siemens Healthineers and Philips North America have been selected for funding by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which will support the development of autonomous vascular robots for treating stroke patients.
- The total federal funding is up to $175.3 million over five years, aimed at advancing technology research to enable more timely stroke treatment for more patients. Siemens Healthineers said on Thursday that its project will enable remote mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke without direct human intervention.
- Stryker, which established a strategic partnership with Siemens Healthineers last year to develop neurovascular interventional robots, is a sub-recipient of the project. Other institutions receiving ARPA-H funding for stroke treatment robots include MIT spin-off Magnendo and the University of California, San Diego.
In-Depth Analysis
The research funded by ARPA-H focuses on new technology platforms to address complex medical challenges. The stroke treatment project funding comes from the agency's "Autonomous Interventions and Robotics" (AIR) program, led by Ileana Hancu.
After an acute ischemic stroke, restoring blood flow to the brain as quickly as possible is crucial for improving patient outcomes and reducing the risk of disability. Mechanical thrombectomy (removing the clot blocking the blood vessel) is the standard treatment. However, ARPA-H notes that more than half of the U.S. population lives more than an hour away from a stroke center capable of performing thrombectomy.
The goal of the AIR program is to enable stroke patients to undergo thrombectomy at the nearest hospital, thereby improving health outcomes and extending life expectancy. The agency states that there are currently insufficient trained surgeons to perform this life-saving procedure, with only 12% of eligible patients receiving treatment.
"For stroke patients, timely access to the right treatment is critical. By integrating robotics, imaging, devices, and artificial intelligence, we aim to transform the delivery of endovascular treatment, making it more accessible and precise across a broader range of healthcare settings," said Philipp Fischer, head of Siemens Healthineers' Advanced Therapies division, in a statement.
The German medical technology company will receive up to $31.1 million in ARPA-H funding to advance the development of autonomous remote endovascular robots. Siemens Healthineers will contribute $5.4 million to the project, bringing the total investment to up to $36.5 million.
The company's separate collaboration with Stryker aims to develop a system capable of performing a range of elective and emergency neurovascular procedures, including stroke and aneurysm treatment.
In the ARPA-H project, Philips will receive up to $33.7 million to develop autonomous robots for performing mechanical thrombectomy and other neurointerventional procedures; Magnendo will receive up to $32 million to support the development of a magnetic robot navigation platform for autonomous endovascular interventions.
ARPA-H is one of the federal agencies targeted by the Trump administration's research funding cuts.