Name: Karol Duque
Degree: Biomedical Engineering
Project Title: Teaching resources for 3D printing of clinical training models
Supervisors: Prof Adrien Desjardins and Jia-en Chen

When applying for an internship with the MPBE department this summer I had a general idea of the skills I wanted to put at work and further develop. Among those skills was CAD design and 3D printing which put the project with Adrien Desjardins and Jia-En (Danny) Chen on the list of my top three choices. What was even more appealing about this project were the close connections between the research team and doctors at the National Hospital for Neurosurgery and Neurology. This opportunity meant to me that I would be able to learn from two different perspectives, the engineer’s point of view and the doctor’s point of view. The possibility to design, fabricate and evaluate phantoms for neurosurgery and cardiac surgery fascinated me and I was ecstatic when I received the email confirming that I had been selected for the internship.

From the job description alone, I was not entirely aware of everything I would be doing. On the first day, Danny had already taken me to see almost all the 3D printers that would be available to me within the UCL vicinity. This included visiting the labs at Charles Bell House, Zayed Center, Bartlett, GOSH, NHNN and later on the School of Pharmacy. The first week I began to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information I was processing because I was learning how to use Mimics and 3-matic to process and edit MRI and CT scans, as well as doing research on different 3D printed skull phantoms and the materials used to simulate the different parts of the skull and brain. Fortunately, I soon found out my supervisors were keen to help me during this learning process and available whenever I had any questions. My supervisor provided me with all the information I needed to learn how to use the CAD softwares, and on multiple occasions guided me through the processing of images for 3D printing.

Throughout the internship, we worked mainly on pituitary tumor phantoms. This involved 3D printing molds of the tumor and using different silicones such as Ecoflex and Dragon Skin, or gel wax to mimic the mechanical properties of a pituitary tumor. The phantom would later be combined with the 3D printed skull phantoms for neurosurgeons to test during drilling and tumor removal training courses at NHNN. However, along the way my supervisor met with doctors who took an interest in his research and more projects became available. We began working on a new skull base and spine phantom which required a brain model, and a spine and hip bone phantom for csf extraction training. With more projects becoming available, I understood that having a solid base of CAD and basic anatomy knowledge can takeyou a long way. I am grateful for having had the opportunity and given the time to learn these skills and reinforce them throughout my 8 weeks at CBH.

This has been an insightful and enriching experience where I have been able to not only learn what research is about but also understand how important it is to collaborate with people in various fields. My supervisor brought me along to meet with people working in different fields such as AI and VR, medical imaging, and material analysis, and it is the collective experiences and knowledge of everyone that has helped him to progress his research. I have received so much support from both my supervisors and other individuals I worked with throughout the internship and felt that my input was valued. To future students taking on a studentship I recommend asking as much as possible and getting involved in everything you can because this is the best way to discover what career path to take.

Student: Charlotte Wei
Degree: MEng Biomedical Engineering
Project Title: Multispectral imaging of skin reaction in radiotherapy
Supervisor: Professor Adam Gibson

Project and My Role

I chose to participate in the project titled ‘Multispectral Imaging of Skin Reaction in Radiotherapy‘ due to my profound interest in the medical and physiological aspects of biomedical engineering. Additionally, this project perfectly aligned with my enthusiasm for medical imaging. The project aimed to explore the potential of multispectral imaging in predicting and monitoring local adverse skin reactions following radiotherapy. In this endeavour, my role primarily entailed building upon the foundations of a successful undergraduate project, conducting extensive literature reviews, and optimizing experimental methods. My goal was to enhance the existing experiment to yield superior results while exploring various image processing and analysis techniques.

Independent Work and Supervisor Support

While I mainly worked independently, I enjoyed the consistent support and invaluable guidance of my supervisor. Our weekly one-on-one meetings provided a platform to discuss research progress, study outcomes, encountered challenges, and the strategic steps forward. Moreover, all the lab work was guided by the supervisor. The eight-week duration of this project allowed me to fully immerse myself in its intricacies. Furthermore, it provided me with the opportunity to develop experimental methods based on comprehensive literature reviews and engage in hands-on laboratory work. This aspect of the project was profoundly fulfilling.

Benefits and Key Learnings

This experience has been exceptionally beneficial to my academic growth. Despite having previously completed an A* EPQ project, my prior endeavours primarily revolved around literature reviews with limited exposure to hands-on experimentation and raw data analysis. Engaging in this project offered me invaluable insights into the workings of undergraduate projects and the approach to academic research within a university context. It has significantly bolstered my confidence and readiness for my upcoming third-year undergraduate project.

During the project, my understanding of what constitutes a successful research project evolved significantly. Initially, my focus was on quickly obtaining definitive results. I now understand that the true essence of success in academic projects lies in more than just conclusions. Completing a project, I learned, is a complex and lengthy undertaking that can span years, involving meticulous and often unexpected twists. It is normal to not find an answer, but each endeavour contributes to the larger body of knowledge. Even proposing novel research directions or methodologies that give clearer results can be regarded as a significant achievement. This change in perspective has proven to be an invaluable lesson, one that will undoubtedly shape my approach to future academic and professional pursuits.

I attended my first conference, SPIE Medical Imaging, that ran between 19^th – 23^rd February 2023 in San Diego. This conference shared information by leading researchers in image processing, physics, computer-aided diagnosis, perception, image-guided procedures, biomedical applications, ultrasound, informatics, radiology, digital pathology, and much more. I was honoured to have a paper accepted to be published with the opportunity to present it at the conference as an oral 20 minute presentation (The Effect of Luminance on Depth Perception in Augmented Reality Guided Laparoscopic Surgery, Authors: Athena Reissis, Soojeong Yoo, Matthew Clarkson and Stephen Thompson). This was based on the work I carried out for my research project when studying on MSc Medical Robotics and Artificial Intelligence 2021-22 here at UCL. Attendees showed interest in my work through questions asked during and after my presentation and even with follow up questions asked a few weeks after the conference. I thoroughly enjoyed carrying out this research and it was an amazing opportunity to be able to present my first publication and begin my journey in this research world.

SPIE Medical Imaging put on a great conference with a variety of keynote talks such as translating computational innovations into reality, MR fingerprinting, brain tumour segmentation and the use of AI/ML in the field. They had also organised a number of events allowing me to network with a variety of different people, get inspired by others and create connections. These ranged from a women’s lunch, student meetup, exploring career path session and a panel discussions. I was also able to meet members of the board and staff of SPIE creating great relationships for the future. Attending the poster sessions, demonstrations and other presentations gave me the chance to discover what is being newly researched in both my area and new areas, helping me understand the extent at which the field is growing.

This trip also gave me the chance to explore the great city of San Diego. To begin with I made it just in time for the Super Bowl and instantly immersed myself in the American culture. I was also able to visit the old town, go to a college basketball game, visit beautiful beaches, see the hundreds of seals and of course eat amazing food. It was my first time trying a Californian burrito and with San Diego being so close to Mexico, they had the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. Of course I had to end the trip before my flight by getting my favourite, chicken and waffles, and I made sure to bring back enough of my favourite American snacks to last me a while. It is an amazing city and was an amazing conference and I am honoured to have been able to attend, represent UCL and present my work.

Athena is currently a PhD student on the EPSRC i4Health CDT programme and studied on the MSc Medical Robotics and Artificial Intelligence programme in the academic year 2021-22.