About Fusetec

Fusetec is an award winning, advanced manufacturing company specialising in design and development of fully operable, soft tissue, anatomical accurate, surgical training models. Surgical training models are fast becoming an adjunct to, and in some cases a replacement for cadavers in a wide range of demonstration and training environments.

Cadavers have been the cornerstone of surgical training for the past 500 years and are an integral part of medical student, resident, and surgeon training. However, cadavers are problematic on many levels: Cadavers are highly regulated, expensive to maintain and transport and have a short shelf life, unless embalmed. They cannot be ordered with specific pathology, nor do they bleed, which limits surgical skills training. Cadavers can potentially contain harmful pathogens which presents OHSC risks and are difficult to source in many countries due to cultural or religious reasons.

Surgical training is essential for a healthy society, albeit according to the lancet report, 5 billion people do not have access to safe, affordable surgical and anaesthesia care. 143 million additional surgical procedures are needed in Low to middle income countries each year to save lives and prevent disability. 16·9 million lives (32·9% of all deaths worldwide) were lost from conditions needing surgical care. Unmet surgical conditions will be responsible for a cumulative loss to the global economy of $20·7 trillion or 1·3% of projected economic output 2010 to 2030.

After identifying the risks associated with cadaver training and the impact of society, Fusetec commenced operations, with an ambitious task to positively disrupt the cadaver market and offer an alternative solution to train medical students, residents, and continually advance surgeons’ training. After five years of R&D and the evolution of technology, Fusetec is now improving healthcare outcomes by advance manufacturing safe, affordable, and effective surgical training models. Fusetec surgical training models are fully operable, mimicking human tissue which are exported globally and have replaced cadaver training in many surgical training courses. Fusetec’s advanced surgical training models are positively disrupting the cadaver market, which is quantified with several large Tier 1 medical device companies commissioning Fusetec to develop specific models to compliment, their surgical instruments for tool training in surgical workshops. Collaboration with higher education is driving anatomically accurate product development and translating ideas to products, then to markets. Ultimately up-skilling surgeons, who will save more lives.

To address the need to expedite surgical training globally, in 2021, Fusetec constructed the world’s first, non-cadaveric Advanced Surgical Training Clinic, in Adelaide, Biomed city. This 25-bed surgical simulation clinic offers the perfect environment to safely teach basic and advanced surgical skills and techniques. The Advanced Surgical Training Clinic is rented out daily by medical device companies to facilitate surgical training on the latest technologies and instrumentation. Fusetec is highly revered for offering its pioneering courses, with surgeons travelling from around the globe to up-skill.

Accomplishments

• FII Grant with University of SA, 2019 – Software Engineering
• AMGC Grant with University SA, 2019 – Material Science
• Australian Start-Up of the Year 2020
• RDFS Grant with Adelaide University 2020 – Anatomical Modelling
• Advanced Manufacturer of the Year 2021 (Global Healthcare Awards)
• GIL Grant with Flinders University 2021 
• Launched world first ‘Advanced Surgical Training Clinic’ 2022 (non-cadaveric)
• Most Innovative Advanced Manufacturing Company 2022 (Global Healthcare Awards)
• Ausbiotech Emerging Company of the Year Award 2022