Patient-specific 3D printed anatomic model of a large tumour of the right nasal cavity
Med-tech start-up Axial3D has announced the closing of a 15 million USD investment round led by a strategic investment of 10 million USD from Stratasys.
The collaboration between the two companies will provide a joint offering to make patient-specific 3D printing solutions for hospitals and medical device manufacturers more accessible, pushing for its adoption as a mainstream healthcare solution.
Personalised 3D printed anatomic models are used for pre-surgical planning and diagnostic use. The models can improve patient outcomes while shortening time spent in the operating room. They are also used in education and training, and medical device development.
The creation of a 3D printed model from a patient’s scan data typically takes several hours, requiring a high level of technical expertise and expensive software licenses. According to Axial3D, its artificial intelligence-powered algorithms enable healthcare providers to segment CT and MRI scans for the models without significant investments in time, specialised skills and large upfront costs.
The Stratasys J850 Digital Anatomy 3D printer, meanwhile, enables the creation of models that not only accurately represent the appearance of human tissue, but also are biomechanically realistic while suturing, cutting, or inserting and deploying medical devices. Various Stratasys printers and materials have been validated and FDA 510(k) cleared with Axial3D software to produce anatomic models for pre-operative surgical planning and diagnostic use across multiple specialties.
“We are proud to be partnering with Stratasys, and we have always believed in their technology and, more importantly, their vision for 3D printing in healthcare,” said Axial3D CEO Roger Johnston. “We believe that to move the industry from earlier adopters to the mainstream, we need to improve the accessibility of models for healthcare so hospitals and medical device manufacturers can scale their patient specific programs. Our joint offerings will be the positive, disruptive catalyst that medical 3D printing needs to address 3D printing accessibility.”
Dr. Yoav Zeif, CEO of Stratasys said: “Many of the world’s leading hospitals are already benefiting from our MediJet and Digital Anatomy 3D printers for medical models. We believe that by working together with Axial3D, we can remove the barriers to entry for the remaining majority of hospitals in many countries around the world, dramatically growing the use of 3D printing in pre-surgical planning so it is truly a standard part of patient care. This is about providing a complete tailored solution for customers that is fast, automated and scalable.”
