Brainlab was founded in Munich in 1989, by CEO Stefan Vilsmeier, at age 17. The first Brainlab product was a mouse-controlled, menu-driven surgical planning and navigation software introduced in 1990 at the University of Vienna and exhibited at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, D.C. in 1992.[1]
In 1993, Brainlab developed a linear accelerator-based system for stereotactic radiosurgery using micromultileaf collimators.[2] Three years later, Brainlab entered into a partnership with Varian, Inc., which resulted in a long-time collaboration in the field of radiosurgery.[3]
Brainlab expanded into the field of image-guided surgery in 1997 with the VectorVision Neuronavigation System and was the first to develop passive marker technology.[4] In 1998, Brainlab became a public limited company (German: Aktiengesellschaft (AG)). The managing board at Brainlab today consists of: Stefan Vilsmeier, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO); Rainer Birkenbach, Chief Technology Officer, and Jan Merker, Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Brainlab introduced its first shaped-beam radiosurgery system, Novalis, in 1998.[5]Lance Armstrong, a professional cyclist, who battled testicular cancer in 1996, became the spokesperson for the Novalis brand.[6]
In 2007, the company released Novalis Tx Radiosurgery, a radiotherapy system jointly created by Brainlab and Varian Medical Systems, Inc.[7] A year later, Digital Lightbox was brought to the market, allowing digital patient images to be viewed and manipulated in the operating room. Digital Lightbox was transformed in 2012 into the current product Buzz Digital O.R.[8]
Other products include Curve Image Guided Surgery,[9] Kick Navigation and Kick EM Navigation,[10] and Buzz Digital O.R.[11] Brainlab was the exclusive distributor for 5 years of Airo® Mobile Intraoperative CT, developed and manufactured by Mobius Imaging, LLC.[12]
In March 2019, Smith & Nephew announced the acquisition of orthopedic joint reconstruction business unit of Brainlab to further its foray into robotic surgery.[13]
In 2019, Brainlab recalled their spine and trauma 3D navigation software (version 1.0) because it could display inaccurate information during a procedure that could prevent the surgeon from accurately navigating surgical tools inside the patient.[14]
On September 14, 2022, Stefan Vilsmeier, CEO and Claus Promberger, VP for R&D, from Brainlab, together with clinical partner Professor Cordula Petersen, MD from the UKE (Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf) in Hamburg, were nominated as one of the three finalists for the Federal President’s Award for Innovation and Technology (Deutscher Zukunftspreis) 2022 for the ExacTrac Dynamic technology,[15] a highly precise radiation treatment for tumors in motion.[16] The prize has been awarded annually by the German Federal President for over 25 years and honors outstanding technical, engineering, scientific as well as software and algorithm-based achievements within Germany.[17]
Headquarters
Brainlab began in the parental home of CEO and founder, Stefan Vilsmeier, in 1989.[18] By 1991, Brainlab had moved into its first official headquarters in the Munich suburb of Poing.[18] After a wave of new hires in 1995, a larger space was needed and headquarters moved to the Bavarian town of Heimstetten, Germany. In 2006, Brainlab constructed and moved into its headquarters in Feldkirchen, Germany, just outside Munich.[19]Edmund Stoiber, former minister-president of Bavaria, officially opened the new building in 2007.[20] In December 2016, Brainlab moved into a newly constructed headquarters in the Munich suburb of Riem[21] on the grounds of the former Munich-Riem Airport.[22] Featured speakers at the official inauguration ceremony on July 11, 2017, were the Bavarian State Minister Ilse Aigner and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.[23]
Stefan Vilsmeier
Stefan Vilsmeier, a self-taught computer programmer, is a German entrepreneur, inventor,[24] author,[25] and founder, president and CEO of Brainlab.
In 2000, Vilsmeier became the youngest recipient of the Bavarian Order of Merit, presented to him by former Bavarian Minister-President, Edmund Stoiber.[26] In 2001, Vilsmeier was awarded the national title of Entrepreneur of the Year in the category of Information Technology, by Ernst & Young. The following year, Ernst & Young awarded Vilsmeier with the title of World Entrepreneur of the Year at an awards event held in Monte Carlo.[27] Also in 2002, the World Economic Forum (WEF) selected Vilsmeier as one of their Global Leaders for Tomorrow 2003.[28] In 2014, Vilsmeier was awarded with the International Steven Hoogendijk Award from the Bataafsch Genootschap der Proefondervindelijke Wijsbegeerte for his service as a pioneer in the development of neuronavigation systems.[29]
Subsidiaries
In 2009, Brainlab began a partnership with Voyant Health, a Tel Aviv, Israel based company founded in 2003, focusing on orthopedic technology. In 2011, Brainlab announced that it would acquire Voyant Health.[30]
Brainlab acquired Medineering and its line of robot-assisted surgery devices on March 20, 2019.[31][32] In 2020, Brainlab announced two additional acquisitions. The first, in January 2020, was VisionTree Software Inc., a San Diego based company that develops cloud-based, patient-centric data collection and health management solutions.[33] The acquisition of Level Ex, a Chicago-based medical video game maker, was announced in June 2020.[34]
In June 2020, the foundation of Snke OS was announced, a Brainlab subsidiary (approx. 150 employees) focused on creating the first digital health technology platform for surgery.[35]
In March 2021 Brainlab procured the german company Mint Medical, which is based in Heidelberg and develops image reading and reporting software for clinical routine and research.[36]
In May 2022, Brainlab announced the majority acquisition of Austria-based robotic and medical device developer and manufacture MedPhoton. The acquisition came after an original partnership in 2020 in the field of intraoperative imaging, which resulted in the launch of a mobile imaging robot, Loop-x.[37] MedPhoton will continue to operate as an independent research and development company within the Brainlab group.[38]
In September 2022, Brainlab announced the acquisition of Dr. Langer Medical GmbH. Based in Waldkrich, Germany, the family-owned company specializes in the development of intraoperative neuromonitoring solutions and related equipment for surgical interventions.[39]
Related Research Articles
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.
Stryker Corporation is an American multinational medical technologies corporation based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Stryker's products include implants used in joint replacement and trauma surgeries; surgical equipment and surgical navigation systems; endoscopic and communications systems; patient handling and emergency medical equipment; neurosurgical, neurovascular and spinal devices; as well as other medical device products used in a variety of medical specialties.
Medtronic plc is an American medical device company. The company's operational and executive headquarters are in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and its legal headquarters are in Ireland due to its acquisition of Irish-based Covidien in 2015. While it primarily operates in the United States, it operates in more than 150 countries and employs over 90,000 people. It develops and manufactures healthcare technologies and therapies.
Image-guided surgery (IGS) is any surgical procedure where the surgeon uses tracked surgical instruments in conjunction with preoperative or intraoperative images in order to directly or indirectly guide the procedure. Image guided surgery systems use cameras, ultrasonic, electromagnetic or a combination or fields to capture and relay the patient's anatomy and the surgeon's precise movements in relation to the patient, to computer monitors in the operating room or to augmented reality headsets. This is generally performed in real-time though there may be delays of seconds or minutes depending on the modality and application.
Varian Medical Systems is an American radiation oncology treatments and software maker based in Palo Alto, California. Their medical devices include linear accelerators (LINACs) and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy. The company supplies software for managing cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers, and medical oncology practices. Varian Medical Systems employs more than 7,100 people at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 70 sites globally.
Smith & Nephew plc, also known as Smith+Nephew, is a British multinational medical equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Watford, England. It is an international producer of advanced wound management products, arthroscopy products, trauma and clinical therapy products, and orthopaedic reconstruction products. Its products are sold in over 100 countries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
John R. Adler is an American neurosurgeon.
Bruker Corporation is an American manufacturer of scientific instruments for molecular and materials research, as well as for industrial and applied analysis. It is headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, and is the publicly traded parent company of Bruker Scientific Instruments and Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies (BEST) divisions.
Neuronavigation is the set of computer-assisted technologies used by neurosurgeons to guide or "navigate” within the confines of the skull or vertebral column during surgery, and used by psychiatrists to accurately target rTMS. The set of hardware for these purposes is referred to as a neuronavigator.
The Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) is a regional health system headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. In addition to the main campus in Annapolis, the group has outpatient pavilions in Bowie, Kent Island, Odenton, Easton and Waugh Chapel.
Computer-assisted surgery (CAS) represents a surgical concept and set of methods, that use computer technology for surgical planning, and for guiding or performing surgical interventions. CAS is also known as computer-aided surgery, computer-assisted intervention, image-guided surgery, digital surgery and surgical navigation, but these are terms that are more or less synonymous with CAS. CAS has been a leading factor in the development of robotic surgery.
Dong-A University Hospital (동아대학교의료원) is a major general hospital affiliated with Dong-A University in Busan, South Korea.
Dr. Frederic Moll is a medical device developer and entrepreneur, specializing in the field of medical robotics.
IMRIS founded in 2005, IMRIS is a global provider of intraoperative imaging solutions.
Rotational angiography is a medical imaging technique based on x-ray, that allows to acquire CT-like 3D volumes during hybrid surgery or during a catheter intervention using a fixed C-Arm. The fixed C-Arm thereby rotates around the patient and acquires a series of x-ray images that are then reconstructed through software algorithms into a 3D image. Synonyms for rotational angiography include flat-panel volume CT and cone-beam CT.
MAKO Surgical Corp. was a publicly traded medical device company based in Florida. On September 25, 2013, the Board of Directors of Mako Surgical accepted a deal to be acquired by Stryker for $1.65B. The deal closed in December 2013.
Computer-assisted interventions (CAI) is a field of research and practice, where medical interventions are supported by computer-based tools and methodologies. Examples include:
Mazor Robotics was an Israeli medical device company and manufacturer of a robotic guidance system for spine surgery that was acquired by Medtronic in December 2018. Surgeons that utilized Mazor Robotics Renaissance generally specialize in orthopedic surgery or neurosurgery.
Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), now known as Northwell Health, is a not-for-profit, 245-bed, all-private-room facility in Mount Kisco, New York. Founded in 1916, it serves residents of Northern Westchester, Putnam County and southern Dutchess County, as well as parts of Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Günther C. Feigl is an Austrian neurosurgeon. Feigl is an internationally renowned expert in minimally invasive neurosurgery. His main areas of expertise are skull base surgery and neurooncology. He specializes in the surgery of gliomas, minimally invasive endoscopy-assisted microvascular decompression in trigeminal neuralgia and facial hemispasm as well as the surgery of acoustic neuromas, tumors of the pineal gland and meningiomas of the skull base. Furthermore, his specialties comprise treatment of pituitary adenomas, spinal cord tumours and metastases as well as the area of pediatric neurosurgery.
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