Virtual rendering

A project that aims to develop photorealistic modelling of living brain tissue could soon provide medical students with an accurate alternative to cadaveric dissection — the use of dead bodies.

Over the next four months, researchers at the universities of

and

will work to demonstrate the feasibility of a virtual rendering technique for medical uses. The technique is hoped to replace cadaveric-based training, which has declined in recent years because of concerns over accuracy, including the fact that corpses are degrading and changing even as students work on them.

Prof Nigel John at Bangor University said: 'Medical students do a lot of work by cutting up cadavers, but when they look at other tissues of the cadaver, the colours have already changed. So when the students go from the cadaver lab to operating on a real person, it doesn't look quite like what they are used to and this can cause some difficulties.'