Axial3D partners Stratasys to bring 3D printed anatomic models to life

Belfast-based medical imaging technology firm Axial3D has finalised a $15 million (£13.4m) investment round, of which $10 million (£8.9m) is coming from Stratasys in Israel, a leader in polymer 3D printing solutions.

This is Stratasys’ first investment in Axial3D which creates models of the human anatomy to assist surgeons in critical operations.

The partnership will also provide a joint offering to make patient-specific 3D printing solutions for hospitals and medical device manufacturers more accessible so it becomes a mainstream healthcare solution.

Personalised 3D printed anatomic models are used for pre-surgical planning and diagnostic use to improve patient outcomes while shortening time spent in the operating room. They are also used in education and training, and medical device development.

Axial3D was created in 2015 to create orthopaedic models that uses patients' CT and MRI scans to make individual scaled 3D models of their injuries.

Creating a 3D printed model from a patient’s scan data normally takes several hours and requires a high level of technical expertise and expensive software licenses. But Axial3D’s AI-powered algorithms enable healthcare providers to segment CT and MRI scans without significant investments in time, skills and costs.

Stratasys’s digital anatomy 3D printer enables medical customers to create models that not only represent the appearance of human tissue but are also bio-mechanically realistic.

A range of Stratasys printers and materials have been validated and FDA-cleared with Axial3D software to produce anatomic models for pre-operative surgical planning and diagnostic use across multiple specialities.

Axial3D CEO Roger Johnston, said: “We are proud to be partnering with Stratasys, and have always believed in their technology and, more importantly, their vision for 3D printing in healthcare.

“We believe that to move the industry from early 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.”

Stratasys has estimated the opportunity for medical 3D printing at approximately $2.8 billion.

“Many of the world’s leading hospitals are already benefiting from our MediJet and Digital Anatomy 3D printers for medical models,” explained Dr. Yoav Zeif, CEO of Stratasys.

“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.”

Invest Northern Ireland has worked with Axial3D since its establishment in 2015 and has supported investments in R&D, skills, and export development.

Grainne McVeigh, director of Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering at Invest NI, added: “Axial3D plays a leading role in transforming how surgery is delivered throughout the world. We recognise the importance of the NI Life Sciences sector as a key driver of growth and the pivotal role companies like Axial3D play in healthcare innovation. I look forward to seeing the company’s continued growth following this latest investment success.”

Axial3D and Stratasys will both exhibit and further discuss their shared collaboration plans at the RSNA 2022 meeting and tradeshow in Chicago at the end of the month.