News and Events

Leuven, Belgium - July 11, 2008. The sixth edition of the Medical Innovations Conference took place in Vienna, Austria, on May 30-31. Organized by Materialise, the world leader in software for medical image processing, the conference provided a platform for discussing the latest trends in 3D image processing and virtual surgery planning. 250 visitors from all over the world came over a two-day period to Vienna to participate in this renowned conference. 

Materialise had the pleasure of welcoming not only delegates from academic research centers, but many representatives of industrial research centers as well. A major reason for their interest was the three simultaneous sessions presented on day one. Each agenda offered a variety of cutting edge topics. The Main Program, for example, consisted of two parallel tracks in which presenters shared a series of innovative cases that highlighted the significant role of Mimics, our medical imaging software.
In the meantime, the second edition of our Rapid Implant Manufacturing Forum, organized in conjunction with EOS, took place. The latest developments in the field of implant production were delivered by industry trendsetters through carefully selected cases. These touched off lively debates, during which the future standards for certified, validated implants were discussed.

On day two, Materialise had the honour of unveiling its brand-new SurgiCase platform to a large audience attending the SurgiCase Program. SurgiCase is a revolutionary software platform for surgery planning and simulation. Prominent users, such as Prof. Dr. Hans-Florian Zeilhofer and Dr. Philipp Jürgens, gave fascinating lectures that emphasized the software’s planning capabilities.

Mimics users, for their part, had the opportunity to participate in the Mimics Software Training Program, which was offered concurrently. Materialise experts were able to welcome learners of every level of expertise, since the program included 4 sessions. Attendees had the choice between a basic or advanced training or they could go to one of the workshops: the FEA workshop, organized in collaboration with CADFEM, or the implant design workshop, that showed the synergy between Mimics and 3-matic, Materialise’s solution for image based design.

Wilfried Vancraen, CEO of Materialise, was pleased by the conference’s success. “This year’s lectures achieved a very high level of excellence. Over two days we were privileged to see a lot of innovative cases that were made possible thanks to our medical software. The high attendee count is a clear indicator that Materialise is considered an important trendsetter. So, looking back at the conference, I can only be very happy with what we have accomplished.”

During the close of the Main Program on Friday, May 31, Wilfried Vancraen was pleased to announce the winners of the Mimics Innovations Awards 2008. The purpose of these awards is to recognize and lend a helping hand to top researchers whose work relies on Mimics. This year’s edition offered three categories in which cases could be submitted, as well as a poster category. The following proud winners were selected by the international, independent junry from the 59 cases submitted.

• Category 1: Innovative implant design system and the development of innovative medical procedures
  Janssen D., Mann K.A., Verdonschot N. - Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands, SUNY Upstate Medical University, USA.
  Finite element simulation of cement-bone interface micromechanics

• Category 2: Innovations in computer aided engineering
  Bongert M., Geller M., Pennekamp W., Roggenland D., Nicolas V. - University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund, Germany, University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Germany
  Patient-Specific Simulation Model for Investigating the Impact of Aortic Valve Prostheses on Blood Flow 

• Category 3: Open category
  Bowers M.E., Trinh N., Tung G.A., Crisco J.J, Kimia B.B., Fleming B.C. - Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, USA
  Quantitative MR Imaging using "LiveWire" to Measure Tibiofemoral Articular Cartilage Thickness

• Category 4: Poster category Vengrenyuk Y., Cardoso L., Carlier S., Einav S., Fallon J.T., Randolph G., Weinbaum S. - The City College of New York, USA, The Graduate Center of CUNY, USA, Columbia University Center, USA, Cardiovascular Research Foundation, USA, Stony Brook University, USA, Tel Aviv University, Israel, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, USA, The City College of New York, USA
  Micro-CT Based Finite Element Analysis of Atherosclerotic Plaque Stability

The winners of these cases are invited to present their project in an upcoming edition of our conference. Further details about the conference and the Mimics Innovation Awards can be found on our website.