The World’s First Flexible Magnetic Anastomosis Ring

A minimally invasive, sutureless anastomosis in under 5 minutes — with no permanent foreign body

* US Patent No. 12,636,012 B2

Clinical Need

Each year, over 1.9 million people receive a colon cancer diagnosis, and a significant portion of them undergo surgery to remove tumours and restore the healthy function of their bowels.

Unfortunately, post-surgery leakage is a major complication that affects approximately 8.6% of cases, and in some procedures, this rate can rise as high as 20%.

This condition, where intestinal content leaks into the abdomen, can severely impact patients, often leading to sepsis and requiring urgent reoperation. Patients experience an extended hospital stay of about 12 days and incur an additional cost of €35,000 for their care.

1.9m Cases Annually

+12 Days of Hospitalisation

8.6% Leak Rate

+€35,000/Patient cost of care

Technology

The PLIO magnetic anastomosis ring is delivered laparoscopically through a standard 12mm trocar.

Patented tissue anchors grip the intestinal wall, holding the ring securely in position without sutures or staples.

The rings are magnetically coupled together face-to-face, creating consistent compressive force across the full circumference of the anastomosis.

Compression healing takes place over next 10-15 days. The rings then detach and pass naturally through the bowel — leaving no permanent foreign body behind.

Team

Plio Surgical is a spin-out of Trinity College Dublin, developing an innovative and evidence-based solution to address the unmet clinical need of conducting an intestinal anastomosis (joining of two lumens together following a resection)

Cristina Purtill - CEO

Cristina has over 15 years’ experience in the healthcare industry and in product management, acquired while working as a Global Product Manager with GE Healthcare in the USA and in marketing roles with Dell. Cristina had previously led the development of five Class II high acuity patient monitors and managed the product commercialisation following 510(k) approval and CE mark in the USA, Europe and Asia.

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Stephen Johnson Barker - R&D Manager

Stephen has a strong industrial design background having completed BSc in Product Design and an M.Sc. in Medical Device Design. Stephen’s strengths lie in the design and manufacturing of the devices Plio Surgical are developing with skills in rapid prototyping techniques, human factors engineering and managing the IP landscape.

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Prof. Bruce Murphy - CSO

Prof. Bruce Murphy has deep technical expertise in developing minimally invasive surgical devices. Prof. Murphy’s lab has a strong track record of success in developing and commercialising innovative, proprietary medical technologies with spin-outs such as CroiValve, Proverum, Selio Medical and OneProjects emanating from his lab and he is well connected to the investment community.

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Keith Real — Chief Technology Officer

Keith is a serial entrepreneur and hardware innovator with deep experience in medical device engineering, electronics integration, and product commercialisation. His background spans device design, regulatory approval, commercialisation and previous successful exits in the technology sector.

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News

US Patent Granted May 2026

PLIO Surgical Granted US Patent for Flexible Magnetic Anastomosis Ring with Tissue Anchors

PLIO Surgical is delighted to announce the grant of US Patent No. 12,636,012 B2 — Compression Anastomosis System, and Use Thereof — by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on 26 May 2026.

Accepted Into Medtech Innovator Accelerator Program

DTIF Grant Awarded Sept 2025

PLIO Surgical Awarded €3.9M Irish Government DTIF Grant for First-in-Human Study

PLIO Surgical has been awarded a €3.9 million Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) grant by Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Government to support the development and first-in-human clinical study of its core magnetic anastomosis ring system.

The grant will fund product finalisation and the first clinical trial of the PLIO device in human patients. Combined with the €2.5M EIC Transition grant awarded in 2025, PLIO has now secured €6.4 million in non-dilutive funding — providing strong validation of the technology and substantial runway for the development programme.

EIC Transition Grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC)

Plio Surgical is proud to announce that it has been awarded a highly competitive EIC Transition Grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC): https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/european-innovation-council-transition-accelerating-40-groundbreaking-technologies-lab-market-2025-01-22_en

The €2.5m funding will support the next phase of Plio Surgical’s product development, enabling the integration of micro-sensors on Plio’s magnetic anastomosis implant.

Women TechEU Grant 2025

Plio Surgical has been awarded the highly competitive Women TechEU grant, one of only two Irish recipients among over 800 applications from across the EU in the 2^nd call.

Intertrade Ireland Seedcorn Winner 2024

Plio Surgical are delighted to be announced as the winner of the InterTradeIreland all-island Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition, walking away with a cash prize of €100,000 to invest in their business.