Collaboration Aims to Bring the Solutions Offered by 3D Printed Planning Tools to Cardiovascular Specialists in China
BEIJING, June 24, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, representatives of Materialise (Nasdaq:MTLS) and Fuwai Hospital signed an agreement that will result in the opening of a multidisciplinary 3D printing center within a reputable Chinese cardiovascular hospital. Through this collaboration, the Belgian-based pioneer in 3D Printing software and services and China's largest cardiovascular hospital aim to bring the possibilities offered by 3D printed clinical planning tools to medical specialists in China. The agreement was signed in the presence of a delegation of Belgian government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders and Secretary of State for Foreign Trade Pieter De Crem, on the occasion of a mission to boost bilateral ties between the countries.
Signing on behalf of Materialise was Chairman of the Board, Peter Leys, who stated, "Materialise highly anticipates working closely together with Fuwai Hospital, and Chinese regulatory authorities, to enable doctors and patients to benefit from 3D Printed heart models. Around the world, these heart models have already proven invaluable for the preparation of complex interventions, thereby improving outcomes and in many cases, saving lives. This is especially true for young babies born with heart defects due to the complexity that comes with treating patients so young and delicate."
Fuwai Hospital's President, Dr. Hu Shengshou, said, "We appreciate the opportunity to work with a company that has 25 years of experience in medical 3D Printing as they help us navigate opportunities and achieve medical 3D Printing goals in a safe, economical and sustainable way. With this collaboration, Fuwai Hospital will become China's leading center for 3D printed heart model education, spreading knowledge of the technology and how it can be used by surgeons to the benefit of the Chinese public."
About Materialise
With its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium, and branches worldwide, Materialise is a provider of Additive Manufacturing (AM) software solutions and sophisticated 3D printing services in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design and consumer products. Materialise has been playing an active role in the field of AM since 1990, through its involvement in AM for industrial and medical applications, by providing biomedical and clinical solutions such as medical image processing and surgical simulations and by developing unique solutions for its customers' prototyping, production, and medical needs. For additional information, please visit: www.materialise.com.
About Fuwai Hospital
Fuwai Hospital, founded in 1956, is the largest and best Grade III Class A hospital devoted exclusively to cardiovascular diseases in China. It is also the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, China (NCCD) for patient care, education, research and prevention in cardiovascular diseases.
The institution employs 2551 medical and supporting staff members, and owns 788,160 square foot facility, housing 8 research labs or centers, 23 administration offices, 37 wards, 19 operation rooms, 2 hybrid operation rooms, 11 Cath Labs and 11 ICUs with total 967 beds, supervised by 14 Clinical Centers and 3 Management Committees of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology,and Imaging Diagnosis. The hospital has state-of-the-art medical instruments for accessory medical examination of cardiovascular diseases, for example, cardiac MRI scanner and 64-slice cardiac CT scanner.
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