Stratasys & Siemens Healthineers Collaborate on 3D Printing Project for Advanced Medical Imaging Phantoms

The partnership between Stratasys and Siemens Healthineers has the potential to change how phantoms are used in medicine, providing an alternative to human cadavers in certain cases. This improves efficiency and reduces the variability inherent in using human specimens.

Stratasys, a polymer 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions specialist, is teaming up with Siemens Healthineers to embark on a research project aimed at revolutionising medical imaging phantoms for computed tomography (CT).

The collaborative effort seeks to develop innovative solutions by leveraging Stratasys' PolyJet technology and RadioMatrix technology, along with Siemens Healthineers' advanced algorithms, to enhance the accuracy and realism of CT phantoms.

CT phantoms are specialised devices crucial for evaluating and ensuring the optimal performance of CT scanners. These devices, designed to mimic specific characteristics of the human body, play a vital role in assessing core metrics such as radiation dose and image quality.

The collaborative project aims to utilise advanced 3D printing technologies to manufacture customised phantoms with ultra-realistic human anatomy characteristics. The goal is to achieve complete radiographic accuracy of patient-specific pathology, a level of precision that was previously unattainable.

The collaboration could potentially transform the use of phantoms in the medical field, offering an alternative to human cadavers in some instances. This capability not only enhances efficiency but also minimises the inherent variability associated with human specimens.

The research initiative is expected to generate a wealth of data, providing valuable insights for advancing CT system algorithms, driving materials development, and identifying new application areas in the medical imaging domain.

Erez Ben Zvi, vice president of Medical at Stratasys, expressed optimism about overcoming longstanding challenges in imaging phantoms. He said, "This partnership with Siemens Healthineers will enable us to jointly explore the vast possibilities of our radiopaque materials and 3D printing technologies to overcome these barriers."

The research will commence with the production of 3D-printed phantoms for smaller-scale anatomies of the head and neck region. The project will progress to include manufacturing progressively larger and more complex anatomies, ultimately aiming to 3D print a heart model and an entire human torso with complete radiographic accuracy as the Phase One endpoint.

Speaking on the potential of the project, Lampros Theodorakis, head of Computed Tomography Product & Clinical Marketing at Siemens Healthineers, said, "Knowledge gained from this project provides a breakthrough in medical imaging that will open up new avenues for uses when it comes to 3D printing and imaging. We are excited about the opportunities ahead of us as a result of this partnership and believe it will have long-term impacts for medical and academic applications."

This collaboration signifies a significant stride towards pushing the boundaries of medical imaging technology. These promising advancements could reshape the landscape of future diagnostic practices and research methodologies.

In another development, recognising the substantial challenges in patient identification and TB diagnosis, Siemens Healthineers collaborated with Qure.ai and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

The initiative aims to leverage AI to improve the diagnosis of TB. The objective is to accelerate the adoption of AI and machine learning technologies to analyse chest X-rays, thereby swiftly identifying TB-related lung abnormalities.