Name: Karol Duque
Degree: Biomedical Engineering
Project Title: Teaching resources for 3D printing of clinical training models
Supervisors: Prof Adrien Desjardins and Jia-en Chen
When applying for an internship with the MPBE department this summer I had a general idea of the skills I wanted to put at work and further develop. Among those skills was CAD design and 3D printing which put the project with Adrien Desjardins and Jia-En (Danny) Chen on the list of my top three choices. What was even more appealing about this project were the close connections between the research team and doctors at the National Hospital for Neurosurgery and Neurology. This opportunity meant to me that I would be able to learn from two different perspectives, the engineer’s point of view and the doctor’s point of view. The possibility to design, fabricate and evaluate phantoms for neurosurgery and cardiac surgery fascinated me and I was ecstatic when I received the email confirming that I had been selected for the internship.
From the job description alone, I was not entirely aware of everything I would be doing. On the first day, Danny had already taken me to see almost all the 3D printers that would be available to me within the UCL vicinity. This included visiting the labs at Charles Bell House, Zayed Center, Bartlett, GOSH, NHNN and later on the School of Pharmacy. The first week I began to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information I was processing because I was learning how to use Mimics and 3-matic to process and edit MRI and CT scans, as well as doing research on different 3D printed skull phantoms and the materials used to simulate the different parts of the skull and brain. Fortunately, I soon found out my supervisors were keen to help me during this learning process and available whenever I had any questions. My supervisor provided me with all the information I needed to learn how to use the CAD softwares, and on multiple occasions guided me through the processing of images for 3D printing.
Throughout the internship, we worked mainly on pituitary tumor phantoms. This involved 3D printing molds of the tumor and using different silicones such as Ecoflex and Dragon Skin, or gel wax to mimic the mechanical properties of a pituitary tumor. The phantom would later be combined with the 3D printed skull phantoms for neurosurgeons to test during drilling and tumor removal training courses at NHNN. However, along the way my supervisor met with doctors who took an interest in his research and more projects became available. We began working on a new skull base and spine phantom which required a brain model, and a spine and hip bone phantom for csf extraction training. With more projects becoming available, I understood that having a solid base of CAD and basic anatomy knowledge can takeyou a long way. I am grateful for having had the opportunity and given the time to learn these skills and reinforce them throughout my 8 weeks at CBH.
This has been an insightful and enriching experience where I have been able to not only learn what research is about but also understand how important it is to collaborate with people in various fields. My supervisor brought me along to meet with people working in different fields such as AI and VR, medical imaging, and material analysis, and it is the collective experiences and knowledge of everyone that has helped him to progress his research. I have received so much support from both my supervisors and other individuals I worked with throughout the internship and felt that my input was valued. To future students taking on a studentship I recommend asking as much as possible and getting involved in everything you can because this is the best way to discover what career path to take.
