Case Study: Jacobs Institute advances vascular care and accelerates device innovation with Stratasys

Jacob Institute Medical Collaborators Pioneer 3D Printing Solutions

The Jacobs Institute, working with Kaleida Health’s Gates Vascular Institute and the University at Buffalo CTRC, faced the challenge of training clinicians, planning complex vascular surgeries and accelerating medical-device validation without relying on costly, limited animal or cadaver resources. To create lifelike, patient- and condition-specific anatomy models and rapid lab fixtures, they turned to Stratasys’ 3D printing solutions, leveraging technologies such as PolyJet™ and Durus™ materials for high-resolution, durable parts.

Stratasys supplied a 3D printing platform that enabled the Jacobs Institute to produce realistic vascular models for hands-on simulation, patient-specific surgical rehearsals, and series-based device testing (e.g., varying tortuosity). The result: safer, better-prepared procedures (including an aneurysm case where the team changed strategy after model testing), faster device iteration and preclinical feedback that reduced the need for animal testing, and quick in-house production of custom fixtures—often printed within hours—significantly lowering training and development costs.

Jacobs Institute

Mike Springer

Director of Operations and Entrepreneurship