We are developing new ways of imaging the human body to support the treatment of painful conditions like Crohn’s disease. Patients with Crohn’s suffer from chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, which causes persistent diarrhea, internal bleeding and lasting pain. The disease is prevalent in the United States, where 201 of every 100,000 individuals are afflicted, and cases are rising rapidly in developing countries.

With funding from the Helmsley Charitable Trust, our goal is to use virtual reality to develop interactive, 3D models of a patient’s digestive tract from MRI or CT scans. With these detailed images, surgeons will can better identify strictures, narrowing and/or twisting of the small and large intestines in Crohn’s disease patients. The ultimate goal is to customize patient treatments based on their own unique anatomy, and improve patients’ experience and understanding of the disease.