Design and fabrication of synthetic, silicone-based tissue and organ models for surgical simulations

Lack of cadavers and organ models hinders the quality of medical education; therefore, there is a need for a reliable and sustainable training medium for ever-growing number of medical students and personnel. We develop silicone-based surgical models that are engineered to simulate mechanical responses of real organs to incision, dissection, and suturing. Throughout the project, several silicone-based, composite formulations will be assessed via mechanical characterization. Porous, connected and non-connected, heterogenous structures will be produced and pathways for controlling the size and interconnectivity of the pores will be assessed to generate structures that can imitate the tactile response of live tissues.