Enatom is following the path of gradual progress. Step by step, the Groningen startup, a spin-out from the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), is fulfilling its mission to make highly detailed anatomical knowledge accessible worldwide, independent of place and time.'
'This is about medical education and then you cannot afford mistakes or carelessness,' states co-founder Stefan Vogelzang. 'That's why we worked together with the UMCG for years very thoughtfully and precisely to create a "virtual cutting room." An intuitive web application, with high-end 3D visualizations, with which we help close the gap between theory and practice in anatomy education.'
Enatom 's solution is best described as a 3D anatomy atlas. But one that you can consult anytime and anywhere, independent of time and place, and test your anatomical knowledge at the same time. On a PC, tablet, phone or with VR glasses.
Of course, medical students can acquire knowledge about human anatomy from books or videos. Only: that is only in 2D, while in practice that knowledge must be applied in 3D. Moreover, there is nowhere near enough opportunity for proper anatomy education in knowledge institutions, and the number of contact hours with teachers is also decreasing. And yes, then you can just run into all kinds of barriers and problems in the cutting room.
Photorealistic
'By using advanced technology, we have developed photorealistic 3D representations of real human bodies,' CEO and co-founder Lusanne Tehupuring clarifies. 'So not computer animations, but scanned anatomical specimens. In other words, the human body has been digitized in detail. Doctors in training can look at a specimen from different angles and learn about it. Suppose you want to study the heart. In our solution, you are where you need to be in a few clicks. You can zoom in on everything. Very intuitively, you gain insight into the finest structures of the heart and can easily switch back to other parts of the body. The level of detail at which everything is visualized is unprecedented. You see a lot more than in practice.'
Explore
Although Enatom was officially founded in September 2022, its genesis goes back more than eight years. At the time, Stefan Vogelzang and Fabian Debats, also co-founders, were working hard with their company VIEMR, one of the first European parties with a complete focus on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. We kept growing and growing, but it was all project-based and hugely commercial,' Stefan reflects. 'It was eating up energy. Despite the success, it still gave us too little satisfaction. That's why we started investigating where our added value really lies. That turned out to be the combination of care and education.
Stefan decided to give a presentation at UMCG, and one of the attendees was Janniko Georgiadis, head of the hospital's Anatomy and Medical Physiology Section. The anatomist, brain scientist and educational researcher was enthusiastic and immediately saw opportunities for using technology in his field. I would like to explore this further with you, he told me. Is it possible to digitize the human body? It certainly had to be possible, Stefan and Fabian knew. Thus the seeds were sown for what would later be called Enatom. So at its core, Jannikos is actually the spiritual father of the startup. He is still associated with the startup as an advisor and researcher.
Co-creation
What followed was years of development, refinement and ongoing development. In the fall of 2022, the efforts resulted in the establishment of Enatom. Simply because not only the product, but also the market was ready. 'But of course we don't do it alone,' Lusanne emphasizes. 'It really is a co-creation. For and by universities and students. For example, we work closely with the UMCG and the Amsterdam UMC, among others. We listen carefully to their wishes and needs and try to translate them into our solution.'
No, it is by no means simple. After all, quite a bit of information has to be put into the web application. How does that work in concrete terms? Lusanne: 'Together with the hospitals, we select the desired content. Then the specimens are scanned with the greatest possible care. A camera then moves continuously along the specimen and takes thousands of pictures. Using so-called point-cloud technology, 3D object representations are extracted from all those images. Students from the UMCG and the Amsterdam UMC will then digitally dissect these minutely. That is pure digital craft: cutting everything out, coloring it in and showing all the layers and parts of a specimen in the best possible way. Although the data is complex, the use of point clouds ensures seamless streaming. Even under non-optimal WiFi conditions, we are able to stream the content very stably.'
Commercial mindset
Lusanne was approached about two years ago, not long before its founding, to lead Enatom as CEO. 'I really wanted her there,' says Stefan. 'At Noordhoff Uitgevers and Founded in Groningen, Lusanne had demonstrated a strong commercial mindset. But she also has an affinity for education and is keen on content. Enatom just needs that, especially at this stage. You can also want to go too fast and trip over yourself. But if you really want to do it thoroughly, you can't take shortcuts. From day one, you have to attract the right people, establish the right business operations and establish the right partnerships.'
In our solution, you are where you need to be in a few clicks. You can zoom in on anything.
Lusanne Tehupuring, CEO and co-founder Enatom
International playing field
Lusanne's arrival paid off immediately. Because soon after the start of Enatom, for further development and validation of the approach and technology, funding was obtained from G-Force Capital and Triade Investment. Followed by an innovation loan from Rabobank. Last March, LUMO Labs, UNETI Ventures and NOM also decided to invest in the startup. The latter funding is primarily intended to further develop and scale up the "virtual cutting room."
'They are investors who not only believe in us, but also want to contribute to realizing our mission,' Lusanne knows. 'Besides closing the gap between theory and practice, we can also help reduce educational inequality. Talent is everywhere worldwide, but opportunities and chances are unequally distributed. Many countries, especially below the equator, often lack the resources to study human anatomy in a costly cutting room. Our solution, as a complement to traditional teaching methods, can overcome that problem anywhere in the world. Of course, when entering such an international playing field, finding adequate funding is of great importance, especially with such an intensive technology.'
Better care
Meanwhile, thousands of students and healthcare professionals from several European countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria, are already using Enatom. The goal is to make an impact elsewhere in the world within five years. 'It looks promising so far,' says Lusanne. 'There are contacts with more and more hospitals and universities on other continents. We notice from everything that they are open to cooperation and want to use Enatom in time to train and educate their students and professionals there as well. That's great, because creating equal opportunities in medical education is a big step toward delivering better care. And that is exactly what drives us.