Endiatx: Trailblazers in the Field of Tiny Medical Robots

Remember the 1966 classic film Fantastic Voyage in which a submarine carrying scientists is shrunk to microscopic size and injected into the bloodstream of an ailing colleague to help save his life? It was a pivotal moment in the plotline when the miniaturized crew made their way through the patient’s blood vessels to the brain to remove a harmful blood clot. The scene left the audience enthralled and in awe, wondering if such capabilities were possible in real life.

While shrinking technology is still far from reality, with advancements in nanotechnology and robotics, the idea of an army of minuscule robots patrolling our bodies and maintaining our health is slowly sneaking out of the realm of science fiction. Researchers are now taking huge steps in designing micro and nanobots that can be used to carry and release drugs throughout the body, diagnose conditions, and perform medical procedures at microscopic scales. Torrey Smith, co-founder and CEO of Endiatx, a Redwood City, CA-based medical devices startup is one such trailblazer, whose unfaltering drive toward developing ground-breaking technology helped him create a name for himself and his company in the healthcare industry.

An aerospace engineer, Smith, has been in the startup medical devices industry for over 14 years now and is responsible for designing numerous innovative devices and participated in three successful medical device company exits. With his friends and colleagues, Dan Moyer, James Erd, and Alex Luebke—who serve as Endiatx’s CTO, principal R&D engineer, and chairman and board of directors, respectively, Smith co-founded Endiatx after realizing the limitations and drawbacks of using traditional endoscopes and passive pill cameras to diagnose conditions in the GI tract. “Endoscopy typically involves sliding a long, flexible tube with a light source and camera into the body of a patient. The issue with this procedure is it not only requires the patient to be sedated but also carries its own risks of perforation,” says Smith. On top of that, endoscopes can’t reach everywhere. As an alternative, scientists came up with the passive pill cameras; however, their lack of therapeutic capabilities, inability to obtain biopsies immediately, and lack of any active control over the movement of the capsule led to numerous challenges.

“With Endiatx, our goal is to disrupt the common but very uncomfortable endoscopy procedure— replacing it with a non-invasive process that does not require anaesthesia. You could even swallow PillBot^™ in your living room and have your doctor control it over a video call,” informs Smith. Endiatx has developed a series of pill-sized robots, PillBot^™, to perform remote diagnosis within the GI tract. PillBot^™ features a novel propulsion system that enables doctors to actively control the device and have real-time remote access to the entire GI tract, beginning with the stomach. With this innovative device, Endiatx is giving physicians the diagnostic power of an endoscope in the form factor of a pill.

Unfolding the Smart Pill Revolution

Endiatx is designed to help doctors diagnose illnesses within the GI tract more seamlessly. For now, the initial target is the stomach, where a patient can simply skip breakfast, drink a few glasses of water during the morning, and swallow PillBot^™ along with a pint or two of water at lunch.