The ECHORD++ LA-ROSES project team, namely Francesca Rossi (Institute of Applied Physics CNR – Florence), Luca Menabuoni (Head of Surgery Corneal Experimental Ophthalmology at UO ASL 4 of Prato), Bernardo Magnani (Ekymed Spa), Fabio Leoni (Fastenica Ltd.) and Luca Giannoni (El.En. Group Spa) have recently received an award from the “Giovanni and Annamaria Cottino” Foundation with the collaboration of a Venture Capitalist Italian (Innogest SGR); the award was presented during the 94th Congress of the Italian Society of Ophthalmology (SOI) as part of the “Premio APPLICO – Ophthalmology 2014”. The competition aims to reward the best innovations in the biomedical sector for the year 2014. The robotic platform, which will be developed in the framework of the LA-ROSES project will be useful in several ophthalmic surgical applications replacing the stitches inserted inside the eye for suturing. Examples of applications are: the laser welding of full-thickness corneal transplantation, surgery in the anterior lamellar, in endothelial transplantation, congenital cataract surgery and, more generally, for the closure of corneal incisions. One of the main advantages, thanks to the reduction of the inflammatory reaction, of such laser robotic platform will be the reduction of the post-surgical recovering time. Laser welding also allows the suturing of the cornea endothelium which is impossible to seal using other surgical techniques.
From left to right: Bernardo Magnani, Luca Menabuoni, Fabio Leoni and Francesca Rossi