About our customer
“Ricoh’s extensive 3D facilities and delivery expertise have strengthened our vision of closing a huge clinical gap in head and neck cancer care through 3D medical printing, manufacturing and distribution. We’re now able to provide customized immobilization oral devices that have been shown to reduce toxicity and unnecessary complications for patients. With Ricoh as our partner, we focus on what’s most important to us — developing innovative patient-centric solutions.”
— Rajan Patel
CEO of Kallisio
Challenge
Solution
100% case-customized Stentra oral immobilization device for better patient care
Rapid, scalable production using Ricoh’s compact 3D printing studio and advanced post-processing innovations
Ability to be manufactured on-site at the Point-of-Care
Cancer care is unfortunately widespread, with head and neck cancer therapy estimated at $5.46 billion, and $1.58 billion of incremental cost to treat side effects such as radiation-induced oral mucositis. The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for new oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer cases in the United States alone reach 58,000, demonstrating a massive potential to improve therapy for hundreds of thousands of patients.
“The partnership between Kallisio and Ricoh has been pivotal in commercializing Stentra, allowing us to bring this innovative, patient-specific solution to a broader audience. By working together, we are not only improving treatment but also democratizing access to advanced care for more head and neck cancer patients,” Gary Turner, Sr. Director, Additive Manufacturing at Ricoh.
Together, Ricoh and Kallisio are exploring the potential for Point-of-Care studios at select customer sites with radiation oncology programs. Point-of-Care studios are specialized setups within healthcare facilities that can enable onsite production of the oral stent. This localized manufacturing reduces lead times, allows rapid additional customization for specific patient needs, creates job opportunities within the hospital’s community, and enables the hospital to act as a device production hub for other hospitals in the region. The studios integrate seamlessly with hospital workflows, supported by Ricoh’s Clinical Applications Specialists and on-site Clinical Engineers. Additionally, Stentra can be manufactured in Ricoh’s growing presence of Point-of-Care medical 3D printing facilities across the country.
Results
