Quantum Surgical buys NeuWave, creates Precision IO Group to scale care

Quantum Surgical acquired NeuWave Medical from Johnson & Johnson and on Feb. 27, 2026 folded both businesses under a new parent, Precision IO Group Inc., a move intended to pair robotic guidance with microwave ablation systems to broaden access to percutaneous cancer treatment. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Precision IO Group will operate with Quantum Surgical and NeuWave as separate subsidiaries under newly appointed CEO Kurt Azarbarzin, a medtech veteran whose resume includes stints as founder and CEO of SurgiQuest, leadership roles at EndoQuest Robotics and Verb Surgical, and a recent partnership at Frazier Healthcare Partners. Ally Bridge Group is named as the largest investor in the new group. Company statements describe an operational model that preserves independent day-to-day business while pursuing cross-organizational enhancements to integrate robotics, AI and ablation therapies.

The strategic logic is straightforward: Quantum’s Epione robotic platform guides physicians performing percutaneous tumor ablations, and is CE-marked for abdominal, chest and musculoskeletal indications and FDA-cleared for abdominal ablation; NeuWave’s microwave ablation systems deliver electromagnetic energy to destroy tumor tissue and, the companies say, are used in more than 70% of the top U.S. cancer centers, a figure the companies attribute to their own internal data and that has not been independently verified. Bertin Nahum, president and co‑founder of Quantum Surgical, said in a company statement that acquiring NeuWave is “a natural and strategic step” in the company’s mission to democratize procedural know-how through robotics.

Management framed the deal as a response to mounting clinical demand for precision, minimally invasive cancer therapies and to a broader push toward remote and assisted procedures. Precision IO Group has highlighted a program to expand remote trajectory planning and results assessment, enabling expert clinicians to support interventions across geographies using Epione tools. Kurt Azarbarzin said, “Quantum Surgical and NeuWave Medical, Inc. are highly complementary and share an incredible vision for the future,” and added that he is “convinced that AI, robotics and enabling remote interventions are game-changers for cancer care and interventional radiology.”

The transaction closes a chapter that began when J&J acquired NeuWave in 2016. Reports say J&J had informed customers in 2025 that it planned to discontinue NeuWave before receiving a binding offer from Quantum in September 2025. A J&J spokesperson said the sale reflects “a continued focus on evaluating the surgical technologies portfolio to best support patients and customers, accelerate business growth and optimize manufacturing operations.”

Market implications are notable. Combining a navigation robot with a clinically proven ablation modality could accelerate adoption of image-guided, remote-enabled procedures and create a clearer product pathway for integrated robotic-ablation suites. For hospitals and cancer centers, potential benefits include higher throughput of percutaneous procedures and reduced need for more invasive surgery, but adoption will depend on payer coverage, training programs and regulatory work to align combined workflows. Precision IO Group’s backing by a sizable investor suggests an ambition to scale quickly, yet key commercial metrics and the purchase price remain undisclosed.

Quantum also pointed to broader research commitments: the company is part of the PreciseOnco consortium, which received EUR 14.9 million in public funding from the EU’s Innovative Health Initiative complemented by EUR 9 million in in-kind contributions for a five-year program including five clinical studies. Missing details that merit follow-up include the exact transaction close date, governance structure beyond the CEO appointment, a product integration roadmap, and independent verification of market‑share claims.