Student project to aid in the Development of Patient Matched Kidney Training Models
Student: Christina Chan
QUT: Bachelor of Industrial Design & Bachelor of Business (Marketing)
HBI Supervisor: Becca Murray, Urology
Student Testimonial:
Over the summer, I completed a Queensland University of Technology work integrated learning placement with the Urology team at the Herston Biofabrication Institute (HBI). My background is in Industrial design (ID) and Marketing. I came to HBI excited to learn more about medical-related design and manufacturing. I am eager to work in a multi-disciplinary team with industry professionals from research, medical and design backgrounds.
This project: Aid in the Development of Patient Matched Kidney Training Models, aimed to utilise 3D FDM and resin printing to create a partial nephrectomy training model for medical students. The main requirements for this project were that it was accessible (costs, printability), reusable and interchangeable (varying difficulty). The product resulted in a resin-printed base (vasculature and urine collection system), covered with silicone dragon skin to represent the kidney tissue and PLA tumours embedded inside. This training model was also designed to be interchanged using different PLA moulds and tumour layouts. The utilisation of dragon skin silicone allowed the user to experience an accurate representation of cutting out a tumour and suturing the excision site closed.
When I reflect on my time at HBI, I have gained so much MedTech industry knowledge and how ID is relevant for the field of medicine. I have had the opportunity to use industry gold-class segmenting software like Mimics to create 3D models from CT scans and have utilised programs like Meshmixer to modify models. Similarly, I have learnt how to create silicone moulds from PLA and have further developed my CAD, prototyping and 3D printing capabilities.
I would like to thank Dr Becca Murray for her guidance throughout the project and the rest of the HBI team for their guidance and contribution to making my placement such a memorable one. Looking to the future, I am excited to utilise my new skills and to further explore medical design in industry settings.
