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Insightec and Vattikuti Foundation announce partnership with All India Institute of Medical Sciences to expand access to focused ultrasound care and advance research in India

4 March 2025

Partnership includes donation of Insightec’s groundbreaking Exablate® Neuro system to improve effectiveness of treatment and advance the scope of possibilities for therapeutic ultrasound indications

MIAMI, FL and SOUTHFIELD, MI (February 12, 2025) - Insightec, a global healthcare company dedicated to using therapeutic ultrasound to transform patient care, and the Vattikuti Foundation, whose mission is to leverage technology to drive surgical innovation and education, announced a new partnership with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, India. The partnership will explore ways to improve the current treatment of essential tremor and Parkinson’s Disease as well as the potential for indication expansion for the use of Insightec’s Exablate technology in the treatment of other neurological disorders.

Earlier this month, the Vattikuti Foundation announced its donation of a state-of-the-art Insightec MR-Guided FUS (Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound) system to AIIMS. The technology offers an incision-free treatment option as opposed to the current “open” surgery option, while using focused ultrasound waves guided by MRI to target and treat specific areas of the brain with high precision. This approach holds immense promise for patients suffering from movement disorders. At the "Transforming Neuroscience: MR-Guided HIFU – A Game Changer" symposium in Delhi, India the Vattikuti Foundation hosted a panel forum of international speakers as well as a public lecture on the current state of the art, and the alternative non-surgical management of patients suffering from movement disorders and the prospects of MR Guided FUS in India.

Approximately one in 10 patients living with Parkinson’s disease in the world live in India in addition to millions of lives that are impacted by essential tremor, demonstrating the magnitude of opportunity and enormous potential impact of bringing this innovative, incisionless treatment to patients.

“The partnership between AIIMS and Insightec, made possible by the Vattikuti Foundation, marks a transformative step in incisionless surgery,” said Maurice R. Ferre, M.D., CEO and chairman of the board of Insightec. “We are committed to treating movement disorders like essential tremor and Parkinson’s Disease to improve millions of lives in India and around the world. This is just the beginning as AIIMS is a leader in world-class research that will help us improve delivery of current treatment and develop new treatment options to better serve the population of India and beyond with this groundbreaking MRgFUS technology. We’re excited for this journey ahead.

Dr. Mahendra Bhandari, CEO, Vattikuti Foundation, said, "We are at the forefront of a medical revolution with focused ultrasound technology, currently FDA-approved for essential tremor and Parkinson’s Disease, but with immense potential beyond. This technology precisely locates and targets affected areas. The treatment from this equipment in the private sector typically costs over $20,000 per patient in India, making accessibility a challenge. The Vattikuti Foundation aims to subsidize and support the development of a more affordable treatments, by significantly reducing the overall cost to the patient at AIIMS. We are also trying to secure funding for other institutes to advance research and expand non-invasive treatment options."

Following the launch of the AIIMS-Vattikuti Center for Neuro Technologies in Delhi, The Vattikuti Foundation also convened more than 200 robotic surgeons, technology experts, and healthcare professionals worldwide for a two-day "Humans at the Cutting Edge of Robotic Surgery" symposium in Jaipur 14-15 February 2025, including sessions on minimally invasive surgery, data science and AI-driven clinical models, and a new competition for medical students: the “Innovators Challenge With this new collaboration between the Foundation and Insightec, the Vattikuti Foundation is now planning to host the next annual symposium in 2026 in Florida with plans to expand the program to cover non-invasive neurological treatment, AI, robotic and new technologies used for minimally invasive surgery.

About Insightec
Insightec is a global healthcare company creating the next generation of patient care by realizing the therapeutic power of acoustic energy. The company’s Exablate Neuro platform focuses sound waves, safely guided by MRI, to provide tremor treatment to patients with medication-refractory essential tremor and Parkinson's disease. Research for future applications in the neuroscience space is underway in partnership with leading academic and medical institutions. Insightec is headquartered in Haifa, Israel, and Miami, with offices in Dallas, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

About Vattikuti Foundation
The Vattikuti Foundation was established in 1997 by Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist Raj Vattikuti and his wife, Padma Vattikuti. The Foundation’s mission is to bring meaning to human lives through social empowerment, leveraging technology, surgical innovation and education. The Vattikuti Foundation fills in the space between the technology and its ultimate purpose of improving the quality of human lives. Since 2010, the Foundation has played a pivotal role in catalyzing the adoption of robotic surgery in over 200 hospitals across India, fostering a comprehensive ecosystem that includes the training of super-specialist surgeons to become accomplished robotic surgeons.

Forward-looking Statements:
This document contains forward-looking statements regarding, among other things, plans, expectations, and future events. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the following words: “may,” “can,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “promise,” “continue,” “ongoing,” or the negative of these terms. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Insightec as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Insightec are qualified by this caution. Insightec does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Insightec’s expectations.

“Exablate,” and “Exablate Neuro,” as well as the “INSIGHTEC” logo, whether standing alone or in connection with the word “Insightec,” are protected trademarks of Insightec.

Insightec Media Contact:
G&S Business Communications for Insightec
Marjani Williams
mwilliams@gscommunications.com
(312) 648-6700, ext.2108

Vattikuti Foundation Contact:
Abhi Vattikuti
avattikuti@gmail.com
+1 (646) 326-4636