July 11, 2009
NOSCAR® Increases NOTES® Research with Olympus Medical Systems
Corporation Grant

OAK BROOK, Ill., July 11, 2009 – The Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research® (NOSCAR®), a joint effort of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), today announced Olympus’ continuing commitment to funding research in an emerging minimally invasive transdisciplinary therapy known as Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery®, with a $250,000 grant to the existing Olympus Research Fund supporting NOTES® research. This grant increases Olympus’ total funding to $1.25 million.
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July 10, 2009
NOSCAR® Announces NOTES® Multicenter Human Trials in the U.S.

OAK BROOK, Ill., July 10, 2009 – The Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research® (NOSCAR®), a joint effort of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), announces the first Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery® (NOTES®) multicenter human trial in the United States.  Until now, NOSCAR research efforts have focused on basic research.  The next phase will involve critical human trials. Continuing research commitments from industry partners Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Olympus America Inc. and Stryker Medical will provide funds to support the study in this emerging transdisciplinary therapy. The landmark study was announced at the 4th International Conference on NOTES in Boston where nearly 300 physicians and industry representatives gathered to learn the latest information about the science and technology of the medical platform.
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September 12, 2008
NOSCAR™ Announces 2008 NOTES™ Research Award Winners

OAK BROOK, Ill., September 12, 2008 – The Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research™ (NOSCAR™), a joint effort of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), announce the 2008 NOSCAR™ Research Award winners. The funds, granted through Olympus Medical Systems’ Olympus Research Fund and by KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., will be distributed among 14 grant recipients supporting 16 research projects in the emerging transdisciplinary therapy known as Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery™ (NOTES™), an approach that could ultimately represent a major paradigm shift in minimally invasive therapy and patient care.  NOSCAR™ received 32 grant applications for the $750,000 in research funds.
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August 18, 2008
NOSCAR™ Debuts NOTES™/ NOSCAR™ Outcomes Registry

OAK BROOK, Ill., August 18, 2008 – The Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research™ (NOSCAR™), a joint effort of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), have created an outcomes registry for physicians worldwide to log human research cases in an emerging transdisciplinary therapy known as Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery™ (NOTES™). The NOTES™/NOSCAR™ Outcomes Registry, which began tracking procedures in July during the 3rd International Conference on NOTES™ held in San Francisco, Calif., is a next step in the continuing evolution of this minimally invasive procedure.
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July 2008

NOTES® RESEARCH ACTIVITIES INCREASE WITH GRANTS FROM OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYSTEMS TOTALING $1 MILLION

OAK BROOK, Ill., July 10, 2008 – The Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research™ (NOSCAR® ), a joint effort of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), today announced Olympus’ continuing commitment to funding research in an emerging transdisciplinary therapy known as Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery™ (NOTES®), with a $500,000 grant to the existing Olympus Research Fund supporting NOTES® research. The grant increases Olympus’ total funding to $1 million. NOTES®, which is performed by using the patient’s natural openings for surgery, will be discussed among researchers from July 10-12, 2008 at the 3rd International Conference on NOTES® in San Francisco, Calif.
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September/October 2007

$500,000 COVIDIEN GRANT HELPS FUND INCREASED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES BY GI SOCIETIES

BOSTON, Massachusetts - July 12, 2007 - Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, announced today that its Surgical Devices business unit has provided a $500,000 grant to the Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research™ (NOSCAR® ) to establish the Covidien NOTES® Research Fund.

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October 2006

LEADING GI MEDICAL & SURGICAL SOCIETIES PARTNER WITH ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY TO ADVANCE REVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH

October 11, 2006 - Oak Brook, Ill. – The Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research (NOSCAR), a joint effort of The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), announces a Request for Proposals based on a pledge of $1,000,000 in research funds from Ethicon Endo-Surgery. This investment will support fundamental research in an emerging transdisciplinary therapy known as Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES)™, an approach that could ultimately represent a major paradigm shift in minimally invasive therapy.

“As a company committed to surgical innovation, Ethicon Endo-Surgery is proud to support critical research in this emerging therapeutic approach,” said Kevin Lobo, President, Ethicon Endo-Surgery. “We’re pleased to support research that will help the NOSCAR partnership explore what potentially may be the next frontier in surgery. As Ethicon Endo-Surgery moves into new and different procedures with new technology, we believe funding the responsible, effective and safe development of this new modality may lead to important surgical innovations.”

Proposals are due December 1, 2006, and must be submitted electronically. The complete request for proposal and more information is available online at www.NOSCAR.org.

About NOSCAR

Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) might represent the next major advancement in minimally invasive therapy. To address this emerging technology, a working group consisting of expert laparoscopic surgeons from SAGES and a group of expert interventional endoscopists representing ASGE have joined together as the Natural Orifice Surgery Consortium for Assessment and Research (NOSCAR) Working Group on NOTES.

The growing capabilities of therapeutic flexible endoscopy have ushered in a new era in treatment of gastrointestinal conditions. Refinements in laparoscopic surgery have progressed to the point that complex surgical procedures, such as gastric bypass, can now be performed in a minimally invasive fashion. These trends have set the stage for the development of even less invasive methods to treat conditions in both the gut lumen and in the peritoneal cavity. It seems feasible that major intraperitoneal surgery may one day be performed without skin incisions. The natural orifices may provide the entry point for surgical interventions in the peritoneal cavity thereby avoiding abdominal wall incisions.

The NOSCAR group identified a number of baseline issues. For NOTES® to mature into a viable technology, both procedure and device development must continue. At this stage, NOTES® must be performed by a team that has the skills of an advanced therapeutic endoscopist and a laparoscopic surgeon who in many instances will bring unique but complementary skills. There are a number of other fundamental issues, many of which are identified in the white papers which may be accessed via www.NOSCAR.org – the group’s official web site. These issues must be understood prior to the safe introduction of NOTES. These are best addressed in laboratory settings. Having supportive laboratory data is an essential step prior to approval from regulatory agencies like the FDA or Institutional Review Board for performing initial NOTES. The most important areas for initial study are:  safe peritoneal access and secure gastric closure, intraperitoneal contamination, image display and maintenance of spatial orientation, development of stable working platforms, physiologic perturbations, and tissue approximation methods (suturing and others).

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About the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) was founded in 1981 to foster, promote, support and encourage academic, clinical and research achievement in gastrointestinal endoscopic surgery.  Our members are general and colorectal surgeons who perform endoscopy and laparoscopy as part of their practice as well as surgical resident, fellows, and other allied health personnel. The Society has grown from fewer than 50 original members to more than 5,500 from every state and over 80 countries. Visit www.sages.org for more information.

About the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), founded in 1941, is the preeminent professional organization dedicated to advancing the practice of endoscopy. ASGE, with more than 9,000 physician members worldwide, promotes the highest standards for endoscopic training and practice, fosters endoscopic research, recognizes distinguished contributions to endoscopy, and is the foremost resource for endoscopic education. Visit www.asge.org ; www.askasge.org; and www.screen4coloncancer.org for more information.

About Ethicon Endo-Surgery

Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. develops and markets advanced medical devices for minimally invasive and open surgical procedures. The company focuses on procedure-enabling devices for the interventional diagnosis and treatment of conditions in general and bariatric surgery, as well as gastrointestinal health, gynecology and surgical oncology. More information on the company can be found at www.ethiconendo.com. 

Media Contact:
Barbara Connell
630-570-5616
info@noscar.org

September 2006

Looking back …

Since its inception in July 2005, ASGE and SAGES have worked collaboratively to further the development of the NOSCAR/NOTES initiative.  To date, working groups were established, a NOTES® conference was conducted and summaries were constructed to help identify the next steps.  Above all, we’ve promised ongoing communication regarding the NOTES/NOSCAR initiative. 

Through working group activities and the March 2006 NOTES® Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., critical areas for further NOTES® development have been identified as well as the need for continued research.  Two white papers have been published, a web site has been developed (www.noscar.org) and a joint committee has been appointed to further the work already begun. 

Moving forward….

The ASGE/SAGES NOSCAR Joint Committee (see sidebar) has begun its work and additional goals and outcomes will be identified this fall.  Further information on research initiatives as well as state-of-the-science updates will be developed as part of the committee’s charge. 

The Joint Committee conducted its first meeting via conference call in early August.  We identified the purpose of the committee (see sidebar below) and discussed short-term and long-term goals.  One of the short-term goals was to identify three subcommittees that will address critical issues including 1) outlining research grant guidelines and requests, 2) program content for the next NOTES® Conference, and 3) development of a registry of NOTES® research.  Each of these areas will be assessed, explored and developed by their respective subcommittees and outcomes established. The subcommittees will be meeting this fall to take action in each of these areas.

The group discussed conducting the next NOTES® Conference and determined that the best time to hold this event will be summer 2007.  By that time, additional research will take place and new developments in the device and technique arenas will occur.  There will be a great deal of new information to share and absorb.  As soon as we have identified a date and location, we’ll make an announcement. 

Another component the Joint Committee addressed was the use of the NOSCAR web site to communicate information, collect research grant requests and maintain a registry of research to date.  More details on how this site will expand in the coming months will be forwarded to you as developments occur.

Stay tuned …

The NOSCAR initiative and the Joint Committee are moving at a rapid pace; we want to share accurate, timely information as quickly as we’re able.  Please visit www.noscar.org regularly to be sure you’re getting the most current updates.  Of course, if you have specific inquiries or would like to be removed from future communications, please contact us at info@noscar.org.

Thank you for being a part of this important movement.

Purpose of Joint Committee...

Overall charge:  Nurture NOTES® in a responsible manner

Specific goals

            1.  Set standards
                        - research
                        - human application
                        - training

            2.  Promote/guide research
                        - RFP
                        - raise/distribute money

            3.  Organize NOTES® practitioners
                        - annual meeting
                        - maintain website

            4.  Record development results
                        - create repository for research
                        - create database for patient