Cutting edge surgery training tools net Western Engineering researcher OCE Martin Walmsley Award
The development of synthetic models that actually mimic human tissue that can be used for
surgical practice and training has earned a University of Western Ontario researcher the Ontario Centres
of Excellence (OCE) Martin Walmsley Fellowship for Technical Entrepreneurship.
Leonardo Millon, who holds a PhD in biomedical engineering from Western, leads a team that is developing the
synthetic anatomic models to provide realistic surgical experiences without the obvious risks of operating on live
patients.
Through a research project supported by OCE, Millon developed models of different tissues and organs such as
the aorta and coronary arteries. They are made from a novel proprietary material that is non-toxic and has a
very similar composition to soft tissue.
“We are proud to honour Leonardo with the Walmsley Fellowship which will accelerate this technology to help
him achieve the next level of commercial development,” said OCE President and CEO Mark Romoff, who
presented the $50,000 award at OCE’s Annual General Meeting in Toronto. (The full award includes $100,000
over two years.) “His technology could have a profound impact on surgical training, giving surgeons the chance
learn procedures faster and with more accuracy.”
Traditionally, surgical training is conducted in two ways. It is performed on living patients which carries with it
medical, legal and ethical risks. Human and animal cadavers are also used for surgical training but it has a host
of limitations, the main one being that it does not replicate living tissue.
Millon believes his models will give surgical trainees a head start on developing their skills because they have the
ability to practice over and over. He has founded start-up company LifeLike Bio Tissue Inc. to provide these
surgical training materials to medical schools in Southwestern Ontario, beginning with his alma mater. In the
future, it’s possible these materials will be used in medical schools across Canada, North America and globally.
The Martin Walmsley Fellowship for Technological Entrepreneurship facilitates the transition of OCE-funded
university-based research into innovative business ventures. An expert panel selects the candidates, who are
judged on criteria including strength of technology, commercial viability and sound business planning. The
Fellowship honours the vision of Dr. Martin Walmsley, who was instrumental in founding the Ontario Centres of
Excellence program in 1987.
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Contact
.: Allison Stevenson
Spencer Engineering Building, Room 2074
T: 519-850-2917
F: 519-661-3808
contactwe@eng.uwo.ca
