Presenting Kuopio Health members: Surgify Medical Oy
Surgify – a pioneer in safer bone surgery
There is a need in many fields of surgery and dentistry to cut or remove bone without causing damage to soft tissue. Surgify is developing new solutions for protecting these structures and preventing related complications. Haemorrhage, infections and nerve damage are among the complications that may have a serious impact on a patient’s quality of life. Surgify’s technology improves the safety, speed and accuracy of bone surgery to minimise these risks.
Surgify was established in 2017 as a spin-off company between Aalto University and HUS Helsinki University Hospital. It began with the need to solve clinical challenges in bone surgery. The founding team includes multidisciplinary experts with competence in clinical medicine, technology, regulation as well as business. This multidisciplinary background has been essential to the company’s development and innovation. The company’s headquarters are located in Helsinki, and the company has international operations through its staff and partnerships.
“Our technology is strongly based on clinical needs and we also have a background in neurosurgical research. As a result, we have detected challenges for which we have generated ideas for solutions. Of course, the development efforts have required a lot of laboratory work, preclinical studies and clinical studies”, says Visa Sippola, Surgify’s CEO and Co-Founder.
Innovative technology minimises the risks of surgery
”In practice, the Surgify Halo™ surgical drill is a tissue-selective instrument, i.e. it selectively cuts hard tissue while preserving soft tissue, such as nerves, blood veins and central nervous system structures. This is a solution largely reliant on material technique. The drill bit consists of two components, i.e. a surgical component and a component protecting soft tissue. The component protecting soft tissue is flexible and retracts when encountering bone”, Sippola explains.
The idea behind Surgify Halo is simple yet innovative. Surgeons can use the instrument that protects soft tissue for bone removal without a need to change the drilling technique.
“We took the first steps towards the commercial application of our technology in Finland in 2022, and the product was later launched to the international market, including in Sweden and Denmark. In total, the technology has been successfully used in the surgeries of nearly 400 patients so far, which emphasises the significance of innovation in improving patient safety and enhancing surgical procedures. Indeed, patient safety is a major aspect, as the solution directly mitigates risks but it can also considerably streamline and aid the work of surgeons.”
“We have plenty of individual examples of the successful preservation of critical soft tissue during surgery. As someone who has spent his fair share in operating rooms and seen our instrument used in operations, I’m delighted to see the variety of outcomes achieved, especially in situations that involve contact with soft tissue during surgery”, Sippola continues.
In 2024, the company has also expanded its operations to the German market and it is also looking to scale up its operations to the US market as a result of obtaining FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval. The company seeks rapid international growth and the Nordic countries have played a key role as the company has been building its initial market. The first clients have already achieved promising results.
“We have existing networks in Sweden, Denmark and, of course, Finland, and also currently have our own representatives in these countries. As we further expand to new markets, we will at least partly collaborate with distribution partners”, Sippola points out.
In 2024, Surgify Halo™ was also the recipient of the highly-esteemed Red Dot Design Award in the Innovative Products category. In its selection, the jury emphasised products that showcase technical optimisation, innovative materials and revolutionary applications.
Strategic partnerships play a key role in developing innovation
The company has engaged in significant cooperation with organisations such as HUS, Kuopio University Hospital (KUH), Aalto University and Kuopio University Hospital’s Microsurgery Center. These partnerships have been key to the research and development of the technology, including CE certification studies.
The company continues creating innovations, particularly related to robot-assisted surgery where tissue-selective technology has the potential to significantly enhance accuracy and safety. The company has a vision to make surgeries faster and more effective and to also continue to improve surgical approaches in the future.
“I believe that our product can also increase the speed of surgeries and enable less invasive surgical approaches”, Sippola says.
“We became Kuopio Health members as a result of the recommendation of one of our investors who told us about the Kuopio Health activities. Overall, I feel that Kuopio is emerging as a highly promising health tech region from Surgify’s perspective. The physicians at Kuopio University Hospital have had extremely positive attitudes towards technology research and we’re glad to continue this close cooperation”, Sippola concludes.