Strategy and structure
The Innovation Center Computer Assisted Surgery develops digital technologies for future clinical applications.
ICCAS is an interdisciplinary institute and research center at the Faculty of Medicine ( Leipzig University) and is the university-based transfer center for medical technology in Saxony and Central Germany. Experts from the fields of medicine, computer science and engineering work together to develop innovative medical technologies to improve diagnosis, therapy decisions and surgical interventions, thus forming the interface between innovation and application. Inside the institute’s own research operating theater, translations of novel medical technologies and therapeutic procedures are evaluated, based on the needs of clinicians.
The ICCAS acts as an interface between clinical requirements and commercial implementation and conducts research in close cooperation with German and international industrial partners. As a Saxon medical transfer center, it has a quality management system certified according to EN ISO 13485. In addition, the ICCAS maintains an active exchange with local and regional scientific institutes. The research and development results of the ICCAS facilitate the work of clinical staff, increase treatment safety and lead to more economical workflows in the operating room. ICCAS presents its new technologies to the public and specialist audiences at annual events.
The subjects:
- model-based automation and integration in operating room and clinic,
- open networking of medical devices from different manufacturers,
- digital patient and therapy decision support models,
- intraoperative multimodal imaging techniques,
- medical robotics and artificial intelligence,
- image-supported focused ultrasound,
- MRI-assisted interventions,
- life support systems,
- 5G in medicine.
Development and network
ICCAS is an istitute at the Leipzig University’s Faculty of Medicine. Founded in 2005 by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of its “Enterprise Region” funding program, today it is one of Germany’s most important biomedical technology research centers and enjoys international recognition.
A team of over 80 employees promotes regional and wider cooperation between science and industry. The close relationship with Leipzig University Hospital has proved to be a major advantage. There is international cooperation with research institutions and clinics in Europe, Asia and America.
Among the milestones of the past are successful spin-offs such as Phacon GmbH, which offers surgical training models all over the world, and “oncoflow” system, one of the first information systems for the interdisciplinary planning of tumor treatments between oncologists, radiologists and surgeons.
ICCAS is involved in developing the standard IEEE 11073 SDC (Service-oriented Device Connectivity) for medical device communication. This open interface is a joint result of the research partners of the OR.NET association. It is intended to pave the way for the manufacturer-neutral, cross-device networking and interoperability of medical technology components.
Teaching
The Research Centre also contributes its expertise to higher education in the fields of medicine, computer science and systems engineering. Every year ICCAS hosts an international Digital Operating Room Summer School – DORS, which convinces with practical relevance and highlights many perspectives of the development and use of digital assistants.