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OmniGuide® Inc, pioneer of the world’s most precise flexible surgical scalpel for minimally invasive surgery, recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Since its inception OmniGuide has introduced a new vision for fibers that guide light by virtue of a hollow core photonic bandgap structure. What initially began as an ambitious R&D effort, later culminated in the development of a unique manufacturing process for multimaterial fibers that has transformed the vision into a commercial reality. OmniGuide’s BeamPath™ CO2 laser fibers are currently used to deliver therapy to 1,000 patients per month in applications where precision is of paramount importance: Neurosurgery, Otology, Head & Neck Oncology, complex Airway Disease, Gynecology and Laparoscopy.

“OmniGuide’s 10 year anniversary represents a triumph of innovative vision and determined execution which has been based upon three important factors: rapid technological innovation, a corporate environment that attracts and motivates the best to do better, and a deep commitment to information-based decision making. Collectively, these have enabled our dedicated team to transform a dream into reality and to positively impact thousands of lives in the process” said Mr. Ray Stata, founder of Analog Devices and OmniGuide’s first investor.

The company’s proprietary fiber technology builds on MIT’s perfect mirror structure first described in1998 (Science) and the subsequent discovery in 2002 of a unique process for realizing these mirrors in fibers (Science and Nature). These discoveries paved the way for a new class of fibers made with polymer and semiconductor layers` exhibiting sub-100 nanometer layer thickness accuracy. The technology was licensed exclusively to OmniGuide by MIT.

Traditionally, surgeons needed to make a difficult trade-off between precision and minimally-invasive delivery. Surgical tools capable of operating within the body were imprecise while those that were precise could not be delivered using minimally invasive modalities. OmniGuide addressed this unmet clinical need by introducing a disposable scalpel that is both precise and flexible, specifically designed for enabling precision minimally invasive surgery. OmniGuide’s innovative technology delivers an unprecedented level of precision in cutting, combined with ablation and coagulation which is particularly valuable when working in the vicinity of critical structures within the human body. Between 2007 – 2009, the BeamPath CO2 laser fiber was launched for numerous surgical applications including Head & Neck Cancer, Otology and Neurosurgery. Omniguide has experienced rapid adoption of its disposable scalpels across these surgical specialties and plans to enter additional markets in the future including: Gynecology, Urology, Gastroenterology and Ophthalmology.

“At this important milestone I wish to thank my partners in this amazing journey, particularly Mr. Ray Stata who has been a stalwart supporter. I would like to thank our directors and investors for their confidence and support and importantly acknowledge the contributions of our employees who have dedicated years of their lives to the success of the company,” added Yoel Fink, Co- Founder and Chairman, OmniGuide

Timeline of Key Milestones:

1998 – Omnidirectional mirror paper published in Science

1999 – First OmniGuide structure reported

2000 – OmniGuide, Inc. founded by Kolodny, Joannopoulos, Thomas and Fink

2002 – First OmniGuide PBG fiber reported by Hart, Temelkuran et al in Nature

2003 – Technology transfer scaleup commencement

2004 – First patient treated with the OmniGuide flexible CO2 laser fiber

2005 – Beampath fibers cleared by FDA

2006 – Industrial manufacturing process developed

2007 – OmniGuide launches BeamPath® CO2 laser fiber with 1st generation system for ear, nose & throat (ENT) surgery. More than 1,300 annual surgeries performed

2008 – OmniGuide launches 2nd generation laser system and Beampath for Otology surgery. More than 4,000 annual surgeries performed.

2009 – OmniGuide launches 3rd generation laser system and BeamPath for Neurosurgery. More than 9,000 annual surgeries performed.

2010 – More than 20,000 surgeries expected to be performed using the OmniGuide system. Employee base reaches 120.

Source: OmniGuide® Inc