The University of Sydney in Australia has opened a new medical imaging facility, Sydney Imaging, to facilitate better diagnosis and treatment of patients through new discoveries and education.
Available for the university researchers, students and partners, the research and training hub will feature preclinical and clinical imaging technologies for enhancing healthcare and medical research.
The facility includes the Hybrid Theatre at the Charles Perkins Centre that comes with biomedical imaging technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics and surgical practice.
Imaging technology is designed for the non-invasive analysis of complex biological systems and disease processes, while image-guided and robotic surgery enables the development and perfection of difficult procedures.
The theatre also comprises an advanced robotic imaging system called ARTIS pheno C-Arm, which is manufactured by Siemens Healthineers to 3D image with less radiation.
Additionally, it contains cameras and video conferencing to record and stream live procedures for research and teaching.
University of Sydney vice-chancellor Dr Michael Spence said: “Sydney Imaging empowers our finest researchers from across a range of disciplines, and our partners, to find innovative solutions for the world’s most complex health conditions.
“Its Hybrid Theatre, representing the future of technologically-advanced operating theatres, will enable the high-level training and experience our next generation of researchers and healthcare workers will need to carry this work forward.”
The theatre is designed to enable the easy combination of magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray and ultrasound systems, and the study of surgical robotics to explore their use in developing new surgical and medical applications.
Hybrid Theatre deputy director Paul Bannon said: “The Hybrid Theatre also represents a hybrid between the massive technological and academic strengths of the university, and the drive for innovative and effective treatments from the hospitals we partner with.”
