New at Schneider Children's Medical Center: A Cutting-Edge Center for Customized Surgical Devices Using 3D Printing and AI Technologies

Since its inception, this development center has facilitated dozens of life-saving and life-enhancing surgeries for children, including craniofacial reconstructions and advanced 3D heart surgeries. Having the development center within the hospital has increased surgical capacity and significantly improved efficiency.

The center specializes in creating personalized surgical and rehabilitative devices tailored to each child's unique needs, such as respiratory masks, braces, and implants. It also supports innovative procedures to minimize risks, optimize clinical outcomes, and reduce surgery and recovery times. Furthermore, doctors, patients, and their families can review highly accurate 3D models during pre-surgical planning, providing enhanced visualization and understanding of the procedure.

In addition to its clinical applications, the center offers workshops, training sessions, and specialized courses in 3D technologies related to rehabilitation, anatomy, and biotechnology, benefiting children, medical teams, and other stakeholders.

The capabilities introduced by this new initiative will enable a significant leap forward in pediatric medical innovation in Israel. Ped-Tech, which has been transformed in recent years and is led by Schneider Children's Medical Center, provides a comprehensive support system for technology companies and startups developing solutions for children's health and recovery. This includes access to the best clinicians in their fields, business, research, and regulatory consulting from world-leading pediatric medical innovation experts, and even the involvement of children—the end consumers—in the process.

This framework will also include developing and refining products from the prototype stage—all within a closed-loop system that integrates directly into the most diverse and extensive clinical field in the Middle East. Since the establishment of the development center, dozens of life-saving and life-enhancing surgeries for children, including cranial and facial reconstructions and 3D cardiac surgeries, have already been performed.

The center, led by Schneider Children's CFO and Head of Business Development, Itai Yaffe, operates in collaboration with Synergy3DMed, a leader in personalized surgical solutions using 3D models. Cutting-edge 3D printers from Stratasys, a global leader in 3D printing, are utilized to create surgical tools and models that assist in surgical preparation and patient education.

According to Yaffe Schneider Children's CFO and Head of Business Development:

"Schneider Children's is proud to lead the way as the first hospital in Israel, and one of the first globally, to establish such an advanced center within its walls. This initiative enhances surgical precision and creates significant economic benefits, including cost savings on medical equipment and surgeries by producing implants in-house with near-instant response times. Moreover, the center strengthens Schneider Children's position as a hub for innovation and clinical research, fostering collaborations with academic institutions and children's hospitals worldwide."

Dr. Amir Kershenovich, Head of Neurosurgery at Schneider Children's, highlighted the clinical advantages:

"The customized devices and implants developed in-house allow us to protect our patients' brains more effectively during surgery, making procedures faster, more accurate, and more efficient. The ability to practice on a model before surgery is a significant advantage. We've already had numerous successes, including cranial and facial reconstructions following road accidents and scooter injuries—cases we, unfortunately, encounter too often. The in-hospital development center enables us to increase surgical throughput and, ultimately, save more children's lives."

Michael Librus, CEO of Synergy3DMed, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration:

"We provide pre-surgical planning and customized device manufacturing services using 3D technologies. Over the years, thousands of surgeries across various fields, including orthopedics, neuro-oncology, and general surgery, have been performed using our solutions. We are excited to collaborate with Schneider Children's, Israel's leading pediatric hospital, and are confident this partnership will shape the future of pediatric medicine."

Erez Ben-Zvi, VP of Medical at Stratasys, added:

"This initiative aligns with a global trend to make 3D printing technologies accessible to physicians to enhance the planning and execution of life-saving surgeries. These technologies enable medical teams to train and educate future doctors on personalized models simulating rare pathologies and complex cases. They also make it easier for physicians to explain treatment plans to patients and their families, simplifying complex medical information into clear, visual terms."