Global healthcare technology leader Philips will partner in a unique, cutting-edge research and training centre in the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, where its latest image-guided therapy technology will support training specialist physicians from across the Asia-Pacific and pioneer new precision approaches in a wide range of clinical areas – from cardiovascular disease to stroke, cancer, and spine conditions.
Led by interventional neuroradiologists Dr. Hal Rice and Dr. Laetitia de Villiers, who deliver the latest innovative treatments for stroke and brain aneurysms at Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH), the facility will showcase Philips’ interventional solutions and trial new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and novel 3D printed anatomical models.
The pilot centre is also being supported by NorthWest Healthcare Properties, ahead of moving into their proposed state-of-the-art new building, ‘RDX Lumina’, on a prominent GCHKP site in the Lumina commercial cluster.
Read the Philips story here.
It’s a centre that represents a revolutionary step in medical education and new technology development to drive the future of minimally-invasive patient care.
Building on a strong track-record of delivering specialised training and conducting world and Australian-first clinical trials at GCUH over the last decade, including a world-first robotic stroke clot removal, Dr. Rice says the facility will be a unique space just for training and technology development.
“This dedicated facility will have the latest equipment and space to accommodate larger groups, without the constraints of prioritising patient care within a busy hospital environment,” Dr. Rice says.
“Importantly we’ll be able to expand our research and development (R&D) in the neurovascular field, while broadening training in other surgical specialties, widely utilising 3D printed models to revolutionise training and looking to a future where AI and robotics will enable remote procedures, virtually anywhere in the world.”
It is incredible to have Philips’ support as our key technology partner and to also be able to bring other leading medical device companies to our facility to join forces in R&D.”
Philips will equip the centre with their Azurion biplane system, a leading platform for interventional procedures, favoured for its intuitive, seamless approach that enables clinicians to focus on treating the patient. The latest version of Azurion takes a further leap in integrating essential lab systems and tools into one platform.
Interventional radiologist and Philips’ Chief Medical Officer for Image Guided Therapy Dr. Atul Gupta said that the global reputation of Dr. Rice and Dr. de Villiers was key to the decision to collaborate in the centre.
“Optimising the workflow across the entire care pathway offers the best chance of improving outcomes for patients with neurological conditions such as stroke and cerebral aneurysms,” says Dr. Gupta.
“One patient, every single second, somewhere on earth has their life improved, or sometimes saved, thanks to one of Philips’ image-guided therapy devices or systems.
It is super important for us to collaborate with leading physicians like Dr Rice and Dr de Villiers here in the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, because they are so actively involved in pushing the envelope with neurovascular disease – stroke and cerebral aneurysm care.
We have clinical sites all over the world, 500, 600 clinical sites, but what makes this site so unique is that it is not in a hospital, this freestanding facility is purely focused on education and R&D without having patient care get in the way, which will amplify access to education and training, and furthermore, by virtue of it being on the Gold Coast, is a key hub to access a huge part of the world – the entire Asia-Pacific region.”
The GCHKP location represents an added opportunity to create collaborations with Griffith University researchers, other clinicians and industry partners.
Dr. de Villiers said the new centre would be equipped to enable live links to theatre suites, including a new suite being established at Gold Coast Private Hospital, for training doctors to be able to review and then replicate complex procedures.
“They will be able to practice on exact 3D printed replica models of the brain blood vessels of patients whose procedures they have just watched us undertake, utilising the state-of-the-art Philips image guidance system,” says Dr. de Villiers.
“They will also be able to rehearse their own patient cases on personalised patient models that accurately simulate the feeling of pulsing blood, that we can 3D print in advance of training, and we can guide them through these difficult procedures.”
Dr Gupta sees an exciting future for image-guided therapies:
I think the future is going to be an inteventional suite powered by even better imaging, perhaps essentially imaging without raditation. We’re going to have even smaller endovascular devices for treatment of cardiovascular disease and its going to be empowered by artificial intelligence, augmented reality and procedural automation”
Pilot facility to be expanded into proposed new building
The new centre, which will also be equipped with high-quality audiovisual and high-speed data links, has been enabled through a substantial fit-out of an existing GCHKP legacy building in the Lumina commercial hub, supported by NorthWest Healthcare Properties, ahead of the proposed development of their ultimate facility – ‘RDX Lumina’. RDX Lumina is planned as a world-class life science, research and innovation focused building. The eight-storey facility will be targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating, a first for the Lumina precinct.
NorthWest Vice President – Leasing, Georgie Huxley, says of the development: “NorthWest specialises in the development and ownership of market-leading health and life sciences properties and precincts, where we combine complementary facilities and the best medical experts in the field to create a hub of the highest quality healthcare offering possible. RDX Lumina is a great example of the intersect between research, innovation, healthcare and clinical training, led by the involvement of industry leaders Dr. Rice and Dr. de Villiers.
We are proud to be delivering this innovative training facility via our team of Australia’s healthcare real estate experts, as the largest specialist healthcare real estate operator in the country by a considerable margin, leading the way in building design and delivery for this eminent site.”
Cohort profiles the full 2022 LuminaX Cohort 
