How Development & Manufacturing Excellence Improves Patient Outcomes

Dassault Systèmes has pioneered 3D design software, turning the medical industry upside down by making the unimaginable a reality and therefore improving people’s lives each and every day.

By partnering with its customers, Dassault Systèmes is propelling patient care to the next level, making it personal and efficient. For example, Dassault Systèmes has given physicians around the world the ability to create a virtual model of a patient’s organ to practice on before performing a procedure in order to reduce errors. It has also enabled physicians to test whether a prosthetic limb will fit an individual patient before having it produced, and to print a knee replacement that is the perfect shape and size for a patient. These use cases are not just examples that are boosting Dassault Systèmes’ résumé – they are real-world scenarios that the company has helped solve to improve personalized patient care.

In my previous post for Dassault Systèmes, I evaluated consumer expectations for personalized health care, including the challenges manufacturers are facing in meeting this demand. As I mentioned, 83 percent of U.S. adults surveyed say personalized preventive health plans based on behavior and nutrition will be most impactful on their health, while 79 percent say personalized preventive health plans based on genomics will be.

But we are at a cross-roads: how do we help manufacturers innovate today in order to keep up with consumer expectations for the future of health care? For many companies this means transforming their development and manufacturing operations to meet the market demands.

From Agile Manufacturing to Superior Patient Care

Patients and practitioners are becoming increasingly engaged in not only their own health and their patients’ health, but in the health care ecosystem as a whole. This engagement has led to a demand for new technologies and innovative treatments, which leaves life sciences companies with a unique dilemma: they must innovate quickly to keep up with demand, but at the same time, they must meet the necessary compliance and regulatory guidelines set by the FDA. To maintain this balance, manufacturers are attempting to figure out new ways to accelerate product delivery while simultaneously providing solutions that can be customized based on personal needs. In order to accomplish this, more agile manufacturing processes are required.

With smart factories, manufacturers are connecting and synchronizing all manufacturing operations using connected technology. By digitally integrating product design and manufacturing systems, digital continuity is created across the value chain. Real-time visibility, traceability and process consistency can then be ensured. This allows products to be brought to market faster, enabling manufacturers to act quickly on patient and provider demand.

Creating the 3DEXPERIENCE

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides a unique environment where synchronizing engineering disciplines, simulating virtual models, and validating performance can take place. Because the next generation of life sciences manufacturing must be predictive and adaptive to keep up with demand, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform gives manufacturers a virtual playground for simulation. After scenarios, devices, techniques, and solutions are tested virtually, they can be brought into real-world practice faster than ever because providers already know that they work. This means patient-centric solutions can be developed at unprecedented speed, efficiency, and cost, leading to an overall healthier population.

Although the health care industry continues to face many challenges, virtual simulation and agile manufacturing can provide much needed support for patients and practitioners alike. From designing prosthetic limbs to facilitating difficult surgeries, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is improving care delivery every day. Don’t believe me? Hear from customers like Digital Orthopaedics or ExactCure who have used the platform to conceptualize new possibilities before bringing them to life.

Editor’s Note: To learn more about the future of life sciences and the experience economy, register for Dassault Sytemes 3DEXPERIENCE FORUM 2019, taking place May 13-16 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.