Innovation Projects

The 3DQ Lab’s work extends beyond routine case processing to support its broader mission in education, research, and patient care. Alongside clinical production, a wide range of projects focus on developing new approaches to imaging analysis, advancing 3D modeling and printing, evaluating and integrating AI tools, and improving how imaging data is visualized, measured, and communicated.

Many of these efforts begin with a specific need, whether refining a workflow, supporting a clinical service, enabling a research study, or exploring a new technique. While they are not part of standard case output, they often build directly on clinical experience and are designed to improve consistency, expand capabilities, and support more informed decision making across teams.

This page highlights those projects, from patient-specific 3D printing and quantitative imaging methods to AI development, protocol design, and collaborative research. Together, they reflect how innovation within the lab supports both day to day clinical work and ongoing academic efforts.

3D Printing AI Development Clinical Protocols Imaging Publications & Outreach Research & Collaboration

MRI-Aligned Prostate Cutting Guide

Patient-specific 3D printed prostate slicing guides helped standardize how specimens were sectioned to better match MRI, supporting automated alignment with pathology, improving dataset quality for AI, and enabling more accurate comparison to refine lesion grading.

Mediastinoscopy Training Model

A 3D printed mediastinal model was developed to address declining mediastinoscopy training opportunities. Using patient-based anatomy, the model supports hands-on learning, with the 3DQ Lab providing segmentation and production tailored to procedural and educational needs.

Cumulus Breast Density

Processed digital mammograms were evaluated to confirm reliable breast density measurement using Cumulus. The 3DQ Lab supported large-scale analysis by processing over 30,000 cases and building data workflows, enabling practical risk assessment from routine clinical imaging.

AR for Kidney Transplant Planning

Interactive 3D visualizations on augmented reality headsets were evaluated for kidney donor planning. Compared to standard images, it improved surgeons’ confidence, using patient-specific meshes derived from 3DQ Lab segmentation originally created for 3D imaging workflows.

Early BOS Detection

Quantitative CT was used to detect bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome earlier than standard methods. 3DQ Lab–generated IMBIO 4-color outputs highlighted regional lung changes, supporting diagnosis, disease classification, and consistent analysis in transplant patients.

Cerebral Aneurysm Growth

Cerebral aneurysm growth patterns were studied to identify blood flow factors linked to progression. Using computational simulations of matched cases, the study compared growing and stable aneurysms, with the 3DQ Lab providing segmented vascular models for analysis.

3D Liver Modeling for Transplant Planning

Patient-specific 3D liver models were evaluated to address size mismatch, a major cause of organ refusal in pediatric transplant. Silicone cast models from printed molds enabled accurate volume assessment, improving donor selection, planning, and surgical outcomes.

Predicting Bypass Graft Failure

The 3DQ Lab generated approximately 75 patient-specific models used for computational analysis of bypass graft failure in collaboration with the Marsden Lab. Lower wall shear stress was associated with regions that developed stenosis, supporting identification of high-risk grafts.