3D Printing

NIH Festival Showcases Breakthrough Medical 3D Printing Technology

Last year the the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the NIH 3D Print Exchange, an open platform for sharing 3D printable medical models to encourage access to medical research and collaboration. The federal office wants to take the exchange even further by launching the Science in 3D Festival, a two-day meeting devoted to 3D technology in medical research and innovation.

The inaugural 2015 Science in 3D Festival, hosted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) wing of NIH, will take place next week on January 20th and 21st.  The event will see government, academic, and private sector specialists – including members of 3D Systems – discuss everything from 3D modeling to 3D printing, surgical simulation, and other visualization technologies. And, if you can’t be at the NIAID Fishers Lane Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland in person, you’ll also be able to see it online through NIH VideoCast.

3D printed medical model from 3D Systems
Photo via 3DS.

With 3D Systems playing a prominent role at the event, the company will be showcasing their growing healthcare portfolio via lectures and exhibition displays.  The 3DS healthcare portfolio includes software for 3D simulation, training, surgical planning, as well as 3d printing medical devices, including surgical guides, anatomical models, and more.  3DS has developed an entire suite of services and models for complex surgeries, which doctors have already begun implementing, called 3DS’ Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP®).

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Healthcare at 3DS, Kevin McAlea, said of the event, “As the leading American 3D printing company, 3DS is committed to working with the federal government to enhance the delivery of U.S. healthcare and drive innovation for novel therapies while reducing overall healthcare costs.  This event offers an important opportunity for us to explore common R&D interests and capabilities across multiple technologies—from 3D medical modeling, training and simulation to 3D printing of personalized medical instruments, implants and surgical guides.”

Alongside 3DS, there will be speakers from such exciting groups as OpenWorm, an organization devoted to creating a complete digital representation of the C. elegans roundworm. A representative from the Smithsonian will be discussing the institute’s own 3D scanning endeavors.  Dr. Sharon Presnell, Chief Scientific Officer at Organovo, and Dr. Jon Schull, Founder of e-NABLE, will be speaking, too.  The whole agenda is on the event’s website, so, whether you’re there physically or virtually, you can figure out which experts you’ll want to hear from.  Virtual attendees can head over to the NIH VideoCast site on January 20th and January 21st to sit in and watch.

Feature image via 3DS.