Cairn Surgical, a medtech company focused on enhancing the precision of breast cancer surgeries, has successfully closed $4.5 million in Series A2 financing led by Morningside Ventures. The newly acquired funds will be directed towards completing the pivotal U.S. trial of Cairn Surgical’s Breast Cancer Locator (BCL™) System, a novel technology designed to significantly enhance the accuracy of breast-conserving surgeries, commonly known as lumpectomies. In addition to supporting the trial, the financing will facilitate a limited commercial launch of the BCL System in select European markets.
Breast-conserving surgery, a common treatment for breast cancer, fails to remove the entire tumor in approximately 20% of cases, often necessitating additional surgeries. This challenge arises because current tumor localization techniques do not provide surgeons with the detailed information needed to achieve precise tumor removal. Cairn Surgical’s BCL System addresses this gap by offering critical data about the tumor’s size, shape, and precise location, tailored to each patient.
The BCL System utilizes a supine MRI of the breast in its surgical position to create a personalized, 3D-printed guide that matches the unique shape of the patient’s breast. This guide is designed to assist surgeons in accurately locating the tumor’s boundaries and margins during surgery. Additionally, the system provides an interactive 3D computer model of the tumor within the breast, offering further visualization to aid in the procedure.
“We are delighted to have the continued support of Morningside Ventures, who believes in our vision of improving both outcomes for breast cancer patients and the healthcare economics of breast cancer surgery,” said David Danielsen, CEO of Cairn Surgical. “By giving breast cancer surgeons detailed and critical information that they don’t have today, we intend to transform the surgical experience and, through that, improve the patient experience, reducing the need for re-excision surgery.”
Mick Sawka, investment advisor with Morningside Ventures, commented: “The company’s innovative image-derived guidance solution for breast cancer lumpectomy is showing great promise and progress, and has shown outstanding clinical results in its European clinical trial. We are excited about its potential to significantly improve patient care, as well as reduce costs to the healthcare system.”
Cairn Surgical’s BCL System, while already commercially available in Europe, remains an investigational device in the United States, currently limited to investigational use as part of the ongoing pivotal trial.
