Colospan Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd., has successfully completed a feasibility study supporting the development of a novel intraoperative colon tissue quality assessment platform.
The technology is Colospan’s second platform, expanding the innovation pipeline beyond its lead product, CG-100, and reinforcing Galmed’s strategy of building a diversified portfolio of technologies addressing significant unmet needs in colorectal surgery.
The feasibility study enrolled 32 colorectal cancer patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery at three Israeli medical centres. The study successfully demonstrated that quantitative measurement of colon tissue compliance is technically feasible using a novel ex-vivo methodology. Successful measurements obtained in all 32 patients with no measurement failures or procedure-related technical issues. These results establish the clinical foundation for continued development of an intraoperative device intended to objectively evaluate colon tissue quality during surgery.
The new platform is being developed to provide surgeons with objective, quantitative measurements of colon tissue quality during colorectal surgery. By providing real-time information regarding tissue mechanical properties, the technology is intended to provide objective information that may ultimately support intraoperative surgical decision-making. This may contribute over time to a better understanding of tissue properties relevant to surgical planning prior to creation of a colorectal anastomosis, and may potentially help surgeons identify patients at increased risk of developing low anterior resection syndrome (LARS).
Allen Baharaff, president and CEO of Galmed Pharmaceuticals, said: “The acquisition of Colospan was driven by our conviction that the company represents far more than a single-product opportunity. We recognized an innovation platform with deep scientific expertise, a differentiated technology portfolio and the ability to develop multiple solutions addressing significant unmet needs in colorectal surgery. The data we are publishing today support our belief that Colospan’s engineering concepts have the potential to transition effectively into real-world clinical use. We believe that the data give Colospan a strong foundation for the continued development of the platform and support our plans to advance toward future clinical trials and regulatory submissions.”
Boaz Assaf, founder and CEO of Colospan, said: “The tissue assessment platform complements CG-100 Intraluminal Bypass Device, Colospan’s investigational device designed to provide an alternative to diverting stomas following low anterior resection. Together, these technologies reflect Colospan’s long-term strategy of developing innovative solutions that address critical challenges across the continuum of colorectal cancer surgery from intraoperative tissue quality assessment to postoperative healing and recovery.”