Tel Aviv, Israel, August 19, 2026
Galmed Pharmaceuticals announced successful first-in-human proof-of-concept results for a novel intraoperative tissue assessment technology developed by Colospan, supporting the feasibility of quantitatively measuring colon tissue quality during colorectal surgery. The prospective, single-arm study enrolled 32 patients with colorectal cancer undergoing elective colorectal procedures at three leading clinical centers in Israel. The study successfully achieved its primary objective, with quantitative measurement of colon tissue compliance completed in all 32 patients without measurement failures or procedure-related technical issues. The findings establish an early clinical foundation for Colospan’s tissue assessment technology and expand Galmed’s strategy in colorectal surgery and gastrointestinal medical technology.
Colospan Demonstrates Feasibility of Intraoperative Tissue Measurement
The first-in-human study was designed to determine whether quantitative assessment of colon tissue quality could be performed using Colospan’s novel ex-vivo methodology. Tissue compliance, which reflects how tissue responds to mechanical forces, can provide information relevant to the condition and quality of tissue involved in colorectal surgical procedures. Successful measurements were obtained from all 32 enrolled patients, demonstrating technical feasibility of the approach in a clinical setting. Importantly, the company reported no measurement failures and no procedure-related technical issues, providing initial evidence that the technology can generate quantitative tissue measurements during the surgical workflow. The study was prospective and single-arm, meaning its primary focus was establishing feasibility rather than demonstrating comparative clinical effectiveness against an existing technology
Galmed Expands Colorectal Surgery Technology Pipeline
The study represents a development milestone for Colospan’s second technology platform, complementing its existing focus on colorectal surgery. Galmed has been expanding its gastrointestinal medical technology strategy through its planned acquisition of Colospan, which includes the company’s colorectal surgery portfolio. The new tissue assessment platform could potentially provide surgeons with objective information about tissue characteristics rather than relying exclusively on visual and tactile assessment during procedures. Such information could become valuable in understanding tissue quality and supporting surgical decision-making, although the current proof-of-concept results do not yet establish that the technology improves surgical outcomes. The successful completion of measurements across all 32 patients nevertheless provides an important foundation for further clinical development and validation.
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Technology Creates Foundation for Further Clinical Development
For Galmed and Colospan, the first-in-human findings strengthen the potential of intraoperative tissue assessment as an additional technology platform within colorectal surgery. The successful feasibility results provide clinical experience that can support future studies designed to determine whether quantitative tissue measurements can correlate with surgical outcomes or help physicians make more informed intraoperative decisions. The technology remains at an early stage, and larger controlled studies will be needed to establish its clinical utility, reproducibility and potential impact on patient care. Galmed said the results establish a clinical foundation for further development of the technology while supporting its broader strategy of building a gastrointestinal-focused platform addressing opportunities in colorectal surgery
Source: Galmed Pharmaceuticals press relese
