The Kick-Start Program awarded by the CSIRO will see the national agency dollar-match $50,000 to develop an AI-based tool to make patient-specific 3D cranial implants. 

Innovative medical imaging specialist, Singular Health (ASX:SHG), has just been awarded funding from the CSIRO Kick-Start Program to undertake a research project with the national science agency.

The program will focus on the development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based tool to automatically generate cranial implants for craniotomies from CT scans.

Results will be validated by Singular alongside a dataset provided by Osteopore (ASX:OSX), as part of memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement between the two companies signed previously.

As part of the MOU, both companies will also conduct a comparative study between their existing cranial implant design process and new design process in a clinical environment.

Additionally, the program will see Singular’s technical team collaborate with CSIRO to integrate the resulting model into SHG’s 3Dicom Virtual Surgical Planning software.

This is the second Kick-Start Program awarded to Singular by the CSIRO, following a highly successful first collaboration program back in March that managed to develop a spinal segmentation model with >95% accuracy.

CSIRO’s Kick-Start voucher will dollar-match $50,000 of funding by Singular to conduct the current project.

Global opportunities

In addition to the $50,000 investment which is being dollar-matched by CSIRO, Singular’s contribution to the MOU  includes the utilisation of its 3Dicom Surgical software.

Under the agreement, the SHG software is to be used as the platform upon which the Fully Automated Cranial Implant Tool will be developed, trialled, and commercialised.

Singular has also agreed to provide software development expertise – including for the AI, segmentation, volume rendering, and providing an initial training dataset for the AI algorithm.

“This project marks an exciting step for Singular Health as it highlights our expertise in Artificial Intelligence in the design of patient specific implants,” said Thomas Hanly, Singular Health’s CEO.

Hanly says that working with Osteopore will ensure the results of the CSIRO program will be objectively compared with existing techniques.

“It also paves the way for future collaborations and commercialisation opportunities,” he added.

Osteopore specialises in the production of 3D printed bioresorbable implants that are used in conjunction with surgical procedures to assist with the natural stages of bone healing.

The company is  involved in designing, developing and marketing bioresorbable polymer implants for neurosurgical, orthopaedic, and maxillofacial surgery use.

The collaboration will see the use of Osteopore’s  cutting-edge bioresorbable 3D printed lattice that not only uses 3D printing to generate the complex shapes required, but also enables regenerative bone growth.

“As a leader in regenerative medicine, Osteopore collaborates with a range of technologies that improve the efficacy of our regenerative implants,”  CEO Khoon Seng Goh commented.

“This win-win formula brings future technologies to commercialisation faster, so that surgeons have new solutions for their treatment strategy, and patients can be treated early to make the most of their body’s healing capacity.”

The current program is an example of how AI can be applied to advance the technology behind crucial medical procedures.

The cranium is a highly complex shape, and the AI tool will be used to analyse the unique shape of a patient’s cranium from CT scans, enabling the creation of patient-specific cranial implant models for 3D printing.

According to recent data from Cetas Healthcare, there are an estimated 1.1 million cranial procedures per annum globally.

Founded in 2017, Singular Health made its debut on the ASX in February this year.

The company has developed the Scan to Surgery platform, a disruptive technology-driven process that plans and executes surgical procedures.

It has also commercialised the proprietary Volumetric Rendering Platform for the 3D and VR visualisation of anatomy using standard radiological imagery.

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Singular Health, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.