Swiss medtech Clee Medical develops real‑time intraoperative OCT navigation to tighten neurosurgical precision

What they built — and why it matters

Clee Medical, a 2024 spin‑out from the Wyss Center in Geneva, has developed a real‑time intraoperative imaging and navigation platform aimed at stereotactic neurosurgery. The device pairs ultra‑high‑resolution forward‑view optical coherence tomography (OCT) with AI‑driven navigation to give surgeons live visualization of brain tissue during procedures where millimetre — or sub‑millimetre — accuracy matters. Can real‑time imaging solve the “preop MRI only” blind spot that still plagues many brain operations? That is the company’s pitch.

Technical details

The system uses a 1,310 nm OCT engine and a single‑use endoscopic probe sized to match common neurosurgical instruments, reportedly delivering about 15‑micrometre resolution and real‑time 3D imaging without contrast agents or ionizing radiation. According to Clee Medical, that resolution translates to roughly 300,000 more voxels per unit volume than a conventional 1–2 mm MRI, and the platform’s AI layer is designed to identify tissue types, critical anatomical landmarks and vascular signals to help surgeons avoid blood vessels and functional regions.

Clinical stage, partners and funding

The company was co‑founded by CEO Matthew Lapinski and CTO Abed Hammoud and remains in early clinical validation, targeting deep brain stimulation, biopsies, sEEG and tumor procedures. It has been reported that Clee Medical’s technology has already been used in a small number of surgeries and that the firm struck a strategic partnership with the Swiss Foundation for Innovation and Surgical Training (SFITS) to accelerate testing. Reportedly, the company closed a seed round in February 2026 led by High‑Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) with follow‑on support from Zurich Cantonal Bank, Kickfund, FONGIT and Venture Kick.

Broader context and outlook

This work sits at the intersection of Europe’s advanced medtech ecosystem and growing interest in AI‑assisted surgical tools. Switzerland — a long‑standing leader on global innovation indices and a formal innovation partner of China — is actively promoting such spin‑outs to international markets; Clee Medical was included in Venturelab’s “Swiss Innovation 100” list and appears in a China‑facing promotion organized by Insight Tech. Regulatory clearance in Europe (CE mark) and overseas will be the next real test, and cross‑border collaborations around AI and medical data flow remain sensitive in the current geopolitical climate. For now, the question is simple: can live, high‑resolution OCT plus AI reduce uncertainty inside the brain where every fraction of a millimetre counts?