BENGALURU: Plastic and reconstructive surgeries, such as that of the breast and face, are set to become faster and a little cheaper, thanks to a city-based startup. The firm has patented a novel medical device -Stempeutron - that employs robotics to isolate stem cells from fat for use in the surgeries.The surgery involves removal of stems cells from adipose tissue (fat tissues). For this, fat has to be harvested by liposuction, washed, enzymatically digested and centrifuged. If done manually, this requires skilled technicians, expensive infrastructure and laboratories that comply with global practices, which are not available with most healthcare units.This is where Stempeutics, the eight-year-old startup, is bringing a change. Its Stempeutron employs robotics to isolate stem cells from fat, reducing time taken and cost considerably.Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of the Bangalore India Bio 2015, B N Manohar, MD and CEO of Stempeutics, said: "We're looking at a launch in 2016. We've already got a patent in India and have filed for patents in nine other countries, including the US and Japan."The prototype of the device has garnered inquiries from firms and hospitals in Japan besides corporate hospitals in Bengaluru, he claimed."At present, labs isolate cells manually, which requires huge infrastructure for a sterilised environment…Our device is truly novel as we use robotics, a first in the world," Manohar added. "Stempeutron uses filters and doesn't separate cells manually. In that sense, it's 95% autonomous, with only one-touch processes needed to insert fat and so on," he said.Traditionally a lab takes days to complete this process keeping the patient and the hospital waiting, but this device, Manohar claimed, can achieve the same within a few hours. Besides, isolation of cells in a certified laboratory entails storage, handling, logistic hurdles, and multiple visits by the patient. These challenges can be overcome using Stempeutron, he added."Also, the US machine, which employ the centrifuge mechanism to isolate cells, costs about Rs 1.3 crore, while the expected cost of Stempeutron is Rs 20 lakh. Use of robotics has also reduced consumables (pipes, valves, et al), thereby helping in cost reduction," he said.Besides, he said, the market for silicon and other fillers has grown because using one's own cells did not provide expected results in many cases. "That's because there isn't enough concentration of cells in fat, but this machine also allows to increase that," he said.