by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | November 10, 2025
The FDA has granted Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval to Medical Microinstruments Inc. (MMI) for a feasibility study evaluating the use of robotic microsurgery in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, titled REMIND (Robotic-Enabled Microsurgical Intervention for Neurodegenerative Disease), will assess the safety and feasibility of using MMI’s Symani Surgical System to reestablish lymphatic drainage through the deep cervical lymph nodes in patients with Alzheimer’s who also show signs of lymphatic obstruction.
The primary focus will be the incidence of device-related serious adverse events within 30 days post-procedure. Secondary endpoints include biomarker and imaging changes, cognitive assessments, and general adverse event tracking over a six-month period.
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The study builds on growing research linking lymphatic dysfunction to neurodegenerative conditions. In recent years, evidence has emerged supporting the role of lymphatic drainage pathways in the clearance of amyloid beta and tau proteins, hallmarks of Alzheimer’s pathology.
“Operating on the deep cervical lymph nodes requires precision at a supermicrosurgical level,” MMI stated. “The REMIND study marks the first attempt to apply robotic technology to this type of intervention.”
The Symani system enables precise manipulation of vessels as small as 0.2 mm, a scale at which manual intervention is often limited to a small number of specialized surgeons. The procedure involves reconnecting lymphatic structures to nearby veins, potentially improving neurotoxin clearance from the brain.
“This FDA approval is more than a milestone for our company, it’s a signal of what’s possible in science when we bring together the right experts, technology, and research,” said Mark Toland, CEO of the Jacksonville, Florida-based company.
Kate Rumrill, MMI’s chief scientific officer, added, “Initiating such critical research may help pave the way for further studies to explore the promise of lymphatic microsurgery in improving the lives of more than 7 million Americans impacted by Alzheimer’s.”
