Imagine surgeons being able to hold 3D images in their hands and feel the body parts they will be working on.
A 3D artificial intelligence lab is one of three pitches in this year’s Lions’ Den competition hosted by the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation.
The Dragons’ Den-inspired competition will see five “Lions” — the men and women in business who served as investors and judges — determine which team will receive the top prize of $500,000.
The 3D artificial intelligence lab team is made up of Zach Kilburn, regional director of diagnostic imaging for Horizon Health, along with plastic surgeon Dr. Ian Maxwell and interventional radiologist Dr. Darren Ferguson.
“One day I was sitting in my office and Dr. Maxwell and Dr. Ferguson came in and wanted to 3D print a patient’s skull. I quickly informed them that we didn’t have the capacity to do that,” Kilburn said in an interview.
“I had been looking at a 3D printing program for a number of years, and this seemed to fit quite well with the upcoming Lions’ Den pitch.”
Diagnostic imaging services include CT scan, MRI and nuclear medicine, among other things.
Each of those tests creates what is known as 3D dataset which clinicians are able to look at.
“We can take those images, put them through some software, and out on the other end comes a 3D-printed model of that patient’s anatomy,” said Kilburn.
The goal, he said, is to bridge the gap between what radiologists see on the screen and what surgeons see in the operating room.
In addition to helping clinicians, Kilburn said 3D images would have a number of benefits for patients.
“They would be in the operating room for a less period of time, there’s less chance of errors in the operating room, and it usually leads to better patient outcomes at the end of it,” he said.
Winning the Lions’ Den competition would be “crucial” in getting the project off the ground, said Kilburn.
The money would allow them to purchase the 3D printer, as well as hire staff to operate it and collaborate with referring practitioners. Kilburn anticipates being able to print the first 3D image within six months.
On top of the $500,000 top prize, the winner will also take home a $100,000 research grant from the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation.
The runner-up team that audiences vote as most deserving will take home $75,000 for their project.
The Lions’ Den will premiere online on Sept. 10. You can find more details about this pitch, and the other two in the competition, on The Give’s website.
This is the first of a three-part series highlighting the teams in this year’s competition. Part two will be released on Wednesday, Sept. 1, followed by part three on Wednesday, Sept. 8.
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