>> WELCOME TO "WEDU QUEST."
I'M DR. SHANNON McQUAIG.

CADAVERS HAVE BEEN USED FOR
CENTURIES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND

HUMAN ANATOMY AND TRAIN DOCTORS
AND OTHER MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.

HOWEVER, THE USE OF CADAVERS HAS
LIMITATIONS.

THEY ARE DIFFICULT TO STORE AND
MAINTAIN.

SYNTHETIC CADAVERS WERE NEVER OF
ACCEPTABLE QUALITY UNTIL NOW.

>> AT FIRST GLANCE, THESE HUMANS
SPLAYED OUT ON MEDICAL TABLES

ARE A LITTLE UNNERVING, BUT THEY
ARE ACTUALLY JUST CONVINCING

SYNTHETIC MODELS DEVELOPED BY
SynDaver LABS.

>> SynDaver GOT ITS START AS A
BASIC SCIENTIST COMPANY.

AND WHAT UNDERLIES ALL OF OUR
TECHNOLOGY IS LIVE TISSUE

TESTING.
SO WE PERFORM SOME KIND OF

PHYSICAL TEST ON A LIVE TISSUE
AND THEN WE DEVELOP AN ANALOGUE

TO MIMIC THOSE PROPERTIES.
>> CHRISTOPHER SAKEZLES USED HIS

TRAINING IN POLYMER SCIENCE TO
CREATE THESE ANATOMICAL MODELS.

>> WE MAKE EVERYTHING OUT OF
WATER, SALTS, AND FIBERS SO THAT

WE CAN MIMIC BOTH MECHANICAL
PROPERTIES AND PHYSICAL

PROPERTIES, LIKE THERMAL
CONNECTIVITY, DIELECTRIC

PROPERTIES SO WE CAN GET PROPER
HEATING IN AN MRI COIL.

>> AT THE SynDaver LAB,
TECHNICIANS WORK ON CREATING

ANYTHING FROM BODY PARTS TO
DETAILED ANATOMICAL HUMANS

THAT BLEED.
THEY CAN EVEN EXHIBIT SHOCK FOR

REAL-LIFE TRAINING EXPERIENCE.
THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF

THESE SynDavers TAKES IN EVERY
SCIENTIFIC ANGLE IN ANATOMY.

>> EVEN THE SIMPLEST PART IN OUR
PRODUCTS THAT YOU MIGHT LOOK AT

AND THINK THAT THEY ARE SIMPLE,
SOMETHING -- RADIAL ARTERY.

YOU START OUT WITH A REAL RADIAL
ARTERY AND YOU CAN RUN THAT

THROUGH A BATTERY OF TESTS THAT
MIGHT INCLUDE THE RESISTANCE TO

PUNCTURE THROUGH THE VESSEL.
SPEAKING STRICTLY MECHANICALLY,

USE SOMETHING CALLED FINITE
ELEMENT ANALYSIS TO MODEL THAT

PART AND THE SURROUNDING PARTS
TO CREATE A MODEL THAT'S GOING

TO PERFORM LIKE THE REAL THING.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY,

THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO.
>> THE COMPANY HAS BEEN MAKING

SYNTHETIC HUMAN CADAVERS FOR
ABOUT A DECADE BUT TURNED TO

CREATING DOGS AFTER RECEIVING A
REQUEST FROM CHRISTOPHER'S

ALMA MATER.
>> THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
IS OUR PARTNER.

THEY APPROACHED US ABOUT THIS
TIME LAST YEAR WANTING TO CREATE

SOMETHING SYNTHETIC THAT THEY
COULD USE TO REPLACE BOTH LIVE

ANIMALS AND ANIMAL CADAVERS ON
THE CANINE SIDE.

>> FOR ETHICAL REASONS,
THE UNIVERSITY STOPPED USING

LIVE ANIMALS DURING SURGICAL
TRAINING BUT USING REAL CADAVERS

PROVED CHALLENGING.
>> THE PROPERTIES OF THE TISSUE

CHANGE IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEATH,
MUCH MORE RADICALLY ONCE YOU

FREEZE THEM, AND CERTAINLY AFTER
PRESERVING THEM.

WHEN YOU USE A BAD MODEL LIKE
THAT YOU GET SOMETHING CALLED

NEGATIVE TRAINING TRANSFER.
THAT SIMPLY MEANS THAT YOU'RE

TRAINING YOUR STUDENTS HOW TO DO
THINGS WRONG.

YOU'RE TEACHING THEM
INCORRECTLY.

SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS CREATED A
SYNTHETIC FOR THEIR APPLICATION

THAT MIMICS LIVE TISSUE BETTER
THAN THE DOG CADAVERS DO.

>> THE SynDaver CANINE'S
STRIKINGLY LIFELIKE COMPONENTS

HELP ENSURE A PRODUCTIVE
TRAINING EXPERIENCE FOR

STUDENTS.
>> I WANT SOMETHING THAT WAS SO

REALISTIC THAT IT WOULD GIVE THE
SAME EXPERIENCE AS IF YOU WERE

TO DO SURGERY ON A LIVE ANIMAL.
>> DR. DAVID DANIELSON,

THE VETERINARY TECHNICAL VP AT
SynDaver, IS PASSIONATE ABOUT

THE DETAILS.
>> TEXTURALLY, WE WANTED THE

SKIN TO BEHAVE PROPERLY SO YOU
CAN CUT IT AND IT GIVES YOU THE

SAME FEEL AND DEPTH OF CUT AS IT
WOULD IF IT WAS REAL, HOW TO

SUTURE PROPERLY SO IT HAS THE
SAME DRAG AND PULL SO YOU CAN

LEARN HOW TO PROPERLY CLOSE.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE ASPECT

OF SOME OF THE PATHOLOGIES
INTERNALLY, REMOVING PART OF THE

SPLEEN OR DOING THE BIOPSY OF
THE LIVER OR ANY OF THAT,

WE REALLY WANTED THOSE STUDENTS
TO LEARN TO DO IT EXACTLY AS IF

IT WAS ON A LIVE ANIMAL.
>> AFTER WE CLOSE THIS LAYER IN

A SIMPLE CONTINUOUS PATTERN,
WE'LL COME BACK AND CLOSE THE

MORE SUPERFICIAL ASPECT.
>> DR. STANLEY KIM TEACHES SMALL

ANIMAL SURGERY AT UNIVERSITY OF
FLORIDA AND GAVE FEEDBACK DURING

THE TWEAKING PROCESS.
>> SynDaver ORIGINALLY CAME UP

WITH AN EXCELLENT PROTOTYPE, BUT
THERE WERE SOME VERY IMPORTANT

ANATOMIC DETAILS WITHIN THE
ABDOMEN THAT WE WANTED TO MAKE

SURE WERE IN THERE SO WE COULD
REALLY SIMULATE A VERY REALISTIC

EXPERIENCE.
AND THE FEEDBACK THAT WE

PROVIDED TO THEM I THINK WAS
CRITICAL FOR THEM TO DEVELOP

THIS MODEL THAT I THINK IS A
VERY SUITABLE REPRESENTATION OF

A LIVE ANIMAL.
>> SURGICAL PROFESSOR AND

VETERINARIAN DR. BRAD CASE
SHARES THE ENTHUSIASM FELT BY

HIS COLLEAGUE.
>> THE GREAT THING ABOUT THIS IS

WE NOW HAVE A MODEL THAT WE'VE
COMPLETELY ELIMINATED THE

ETHICAL CONCERNS.
AND WE'VE GOT A VERY ACCURATE,

AT LEAST THE MOST ACCURATE MODEL
THAT I'VE EVER SEEN, IN REGARDS

TO TISSUE TEXTURE, VASCULAR
ANATOMY.

SO NOW THESE STUDENTS GET A
REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE.

>> AND THE SynDaver CANINE'S
MOST GRUESOME ELEMENT APPEARS TO

BE ONE OF ITS MOST CRUCIAL FOR
ACCURATE SURGICAL PRACTICE.

>> I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST
BENEFITS, HONESTLY, IS THE

BLEEDING AND SEEING THE BLEEDING
BECAUSE WITH THE CADAVERS,

YOU DON'T GET A LOT OF THAT.
AND IN REAL LIFE WITH THE

ANIMALS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE
WORKING ON IN THE FUTURE, THEY

ARE GOING TO BLEED, AND IT MAKES
THINGS A LITTLE BIT HARDER AND

MORE CHALLENGING.
>> WE HAD A NUMBER OF THEM

DISCOVER THAT THEIR LIGATURES
WEREN'T TIGHT ENOUGH, AND THEN

THEY HAD A BLEEDING VESSEL,
AND THEY HAD TO DEAL WITH THAT,

AND THEY CAN HEAR THE HEART RATE
IN THE BACKGROUND.

THEY CAN PALPATE THE PULSING
VESSEL.

THEY CAN APPLY DIGITAL PRESSURE
TO CAUSE TEMPORARY HEMOSTASIS

AND TROUBLESHOOT HOW TO DEAL
WITH IT.

SO I THINK THAT IS AN ASPECT OF
SURGERY WHICH IS STRESSFUL AND

CHALLENGING, AND NOW THEY'VE
GOTTEN A DOSE OF THAT IN A SAFE,

POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT.
>> UNLIKE OPERATIONS IN TERMINAL

LABS WHERE SUBJECTS ARE
EVENTUALLY EUTHANIZED,

THE SynDaver CANINE CAN BE
USED REPEATEDLY WITHOUT HARM.

>> THERE ARE STILL QUITE A FEW
VET PROGRAMS IN THE WORLD,

MOSTLY OUTSIDE THE U.S. NOW,
THAT STILL USE LIVE CANINES.

WITH THIS PRODUCT, WE'LL
BE ABLE TO PUT A STOP TO

THAT ALTOGETHER.
>> AND THERE ARE HEALTH BENEFITS

FOR HUMANS, TOO.
>> UNLIKE ANY KIND OF CADAVER

PRODUCT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY
ABOUT BIOHAZARDS.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
THE CARCINOGENS, THE

FORMALDEHYDE, AND THE COPD AND
EFFECTS THAT INSTRUCTORS SEE

AFTER LONG EXPOSURE TO THAT.
PLUS YOU GET THAT LIVE TISSUE

EXPERIENCE.
>> THE SynDaver CANINE'S

FUTURE SEEMS BRIGHT,
AND ITS EVOLUTION IS ALREADY

BEING DISCUSSED.
>> NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING

REALLY CHALLENGING THINGS LIKE
MASSES AND COMPLICATED SURGERIES

THAT EVEN SPECIALISTS WILL HAVE
TO KIND OF LEARN, OR IF YOU

WOULD LIKE TO EXPERIENCE, WE CAN
DO THEM ON THIS PLATFORM.

SO IT'S JUST KIND OF BUILDING ON
THIS AND KIND OF MAKING IT MORE

CHALLENGING, CREATING THAT
PERFECT SCENARIO.

>> ALL THE POTENTIAL IN THE
WORLD IS HERE, AND IT WILL BE AN

ONGOING RELATIONSHIP, AND,
YOU KNOW, AS NEW CLINICAL

SCENARIOS COME UP THAT WE WANT
TO RE-CREATE, WE HAVE THE

POTENTIAL TO ALTER THE MODEL A
BIT TO MAKE IT SUIT THAT

APPLICATION.
SO I THINK THAT IS THE GREAT

THING.
WE CAN GO WHEREVER WE WANT.