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An Adelaide-based company, in collaboration with researchers at the ���˴�Ƭ, is hoping to revolutionise neurosurgery techniques, following their ‘world-first operation’ in November.��

The operation featured a 3D-printed brain inside a head modelled on the former US President Barack Obama, showcasing the newly created technologym which is set to change the way surgeons operate and students learn.��

Ultimately, patients with brain tumours and other complex neurological conditions will be able to have their own brain scanned and 3D-printed for surgeons to rehearse on in preparation for surgery.

FuseTec CEO Mr Mark Roe knew the capability of 3D-printing technology, and spent over a year searching for a problem that could potentially be solved by the rapidly-evolving technology.��

“I was an entrepreneur looking for a problem to solve,” he said. “I spoke to surgeons and academics and looked at the problems they were having. What kept coming up was they needed patient-specific models made so they could practice before they did the operation.”

After completing the world-first neurosurgery simulation, ���˴�Ƭ’s Dr Adam Wells’ verdict was that there was a “high degree of realism” in the brains, and that it would improve students’ training.��

Unlike traditional student training methods, 3D-printed organs do not contain potentially harmful bacteria or require wet labs, meaning they can be studied in a classroom environment.

The aim is to now take the research developments to an international audience and revolutionise the way neurosurgery outcomes are achieved across the global.��

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