TAMPA, Fla. – SynDaver™ Labs, a Tampa-based company, which manufactures the most elaborate and sophisticated hands-on synthetic humans ever devised, has formed a strategic partnership with the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI).

This partnership enables MOSI visitors to learn more about their own bodies with SynDaver’s Synthetic Humans. These synthetic humans are used in medical research, training and engineering research, and replace the need for testing with animals or human cadavers. Unlike cadavers, the SynDaver mimics living tissue and is made of salt water and fiber, just like a human body.

“We’re excited about this partnership with MOSI to be able to allow the public to get a hands-on experience with our SynDavers,” said Dr. Christopher Sakezles, founder of SynDaver Labs. “So far, the only people who have really been able to access our state-of-the-art synthetic humans have been those conducting medical research and training, engineering research and training, or members of the military for medical training.”

To exhibit the educational potential of this incredible technology, MOSI will be hosting several live demonstrations for museum guests. Join the S.T.E.A.M.punks at noon on Thursday, Sept. 24 and Friday, Sept. 25, as well as 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27 at MOSI. These demonstrations will give guests a detailed understanding of the inner workings of the human body with the SynDaver. Guests will learn about the circulatory, digestive, and muscular systems in a way that allows them to see where each organ is located within the body, what color and shape it is, and how it interacts with other organs and systems in the body.

During MOSI’s premiere of Florida Hospital presents Live Surgery, on Sept. 28 and press conference on Sept. 29, participants will get a private, up-close look at SynDaver’s Synthetic Humans. Students from Middleton high school will have the opportunity to experience how this human bleeds, breathes, and houses hundreds of replaceable muscles, bones, organs, and vessels that mimic the properties of live tissue. Then, students will try their hand at stitching up the SynDaver with a suturing kit.

MOSI will be unveiling the SynDaver Synthetic Human in Montreal, Quebec, at the Association of Science-Technology Centers’ annual conference in October. This will give MOSI the opportunity to introduce this educational tool to thousands in the international science and technology center community. Finally, the SynDaver Synthetic Human will return to the museum in mid-Fall as part of the Amazing You exhibition.

SynDaver has been featured on ABC’s Shark Tank and Grey’s Anatomy, Discovery Channel’s MythBusters, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC’s Crossbones, AMC’s Shipping Wars and Engineering TV, as well as the cover of Today’s Medical Developments and the pages of The Huffington Post, Surgical Products magazine, Medical Product Manufacturing News, Medical Device Technology, EMS World Magazine, Inc magazine, Gulf Coast Business Review, Sarasota Business magazine, Sarasota Herald Tribune and the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

For media inquiries about SynDaver, members of the media should contact Judge Public Relations at 813.279.8335 or via email at contact@judgepr.com .

TAMPA, Fla. – The company that manufactures synthetic humans is once again working to improve the organic humans who assemble their synthetic ones.

While nothing at SynDaver Labs is typical, their employee benefits package now includes a health and wellness program, which their employees have been increasingly receptive to.

In June, SynDaver Labs hired a health and wellness director to ensure their growing team of employees was offered the ability to get their physical fitness needs met while at work.

In addition to offering a variety of daily fitness classes, SynDaver Labs has instituted a healthy eating initiative.

In short, any employee who wants to eat healthy can sign up for a free week’s worth of fruits and vegetables that are distributed each Friday.

In three weeks, the program has gone from about one quarter of their employees participating to nearly all of their employees participating in the optional program.

“We recognize the importance of a good work-life balance,” said Dr. Christopher Sakeles, founder of SynDaver Labs. “As a result, we are really trying to create an environment where employees can take care of some of their physical fitness needs and their healthy eating goals while at work.”

On Monday, SynDaver started building out new space they recently acquired next door to their Tampa headquarters. In the future, the unique company plans to have a full-scale gym and a mixed-martial-arts octagon.

About SynDaver Labs
SynDaver Labs manufactures synthetic humans for training in schools, hospitals and military installations. SynDaver has the world’s largest database of live-tissue properties and all SynDaver tissues are made from water, salts, and fibers. The company currently has 10 patents on these materials, processes, and related products. SynDaver Labs is headquartered in Tampa, Florida and employs more than 100 people. The company also has an advanced research facility located in Phoenix, Arizona and is planning additional facilities in the U.S., China, Europe, and Latin America.

For media inquiries and interview requests, contact our public relations firm at (813) 279-8335 or contact@judgepr.com.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A first-of-its-kind class begins Monday with 66 students from South College set to begin lab work on a cadaver in an intensive laboratory setting at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Knoxville.

As strange as it may seem, the cadaver is actually a life-like synthetic human manufactured by SynDaver Labs. The students are part of a revolutionary new program designed to expedite the time it takes to complete a doctorate in physical therapy, while keeping tuition costs affordable.

“In recent years, it has become more expensive and more time consuming to become a doctor of physical therapy (DPT), which is pushing away those who can’t afford the education. At South College, we’re trying to change that,” said Dr. Michael Walker, Dean of South College’s School of Physical Therapy. “Every aspect of this program has been designed to ensure that students receive the best education possible, while minimizing the program’s overall duration and costs.”

Unlike other DPT programs, South College’s program is designed for completion of the program in two calendar years.

South College has embraced innovation and technology to accomplish these objectives. Using a hybrid-learning format, students participate in online instruction anywhere in the nation they can find an internet connection, attend lab intensive sessions at the Crowne Plaza in Knoxville for two weeks every quarter, and complete 31 weeks of clinical education.

“There are several problems with using real cadavers in this educational model,” Walker says. “Real cadavers increase the cost of education due to more frequent replacement, stringent use and storage requirements, and increased instructional time.  As a result, we have turned to SynDaver and state-of-the-art 3D anatomy software to create a more flexible and dynamic anatomy curriculum for our program.”

SynDaver’s Synthetic Human and partial-task trainers use synthetic tissues that are designed and modeled after living tissue.

“We have secured 10 patents on our technology and are very proud of the product we produce,” said Dr. Christopher Sakezles, founder of SynDaver Labs. “Our goal is to make medical training more accessible and more affordable.”

For more information, visit syndaver.com or southcollegetn.edu.

About SynDaver Labs
SynDaver Labs manufactures synthetic humans for training in schools, hospitals and military installations. SynDaver has the world’s largest database of live-tissue properties and all SynDaver tissues are made from water, salts, and fibers. The company currently has 10 patents on these materials, processes, and related products. SynDaver Labs is headquartered in Tampa, Florida and employs more than 100 people. The company also has an advanced research facility located in Phoenix, Arizona and is planning additional facilities in the U.S., China, Europe, and Latin America.

For media inquiries and interview requests, contact our public relations firm at (813) 279-8335 or contact@judgepr.com.

TAMPA, Fla. – While other high-end electrocardiogram simulators are being sold for thousands of dollars, SynDaver Labs released a state-of-the-art EKG platform for free on Monday.

SynDaver Labs, the company that pioneered a synthetic human to replace the use of cadavers, released another ground-breaking medical science achievement on Monday – a free EKG simulator available in the Google Play app store.

The SynDaver EKG simulator is a digital platform that can be run along with any medical training manikin to add another layer of realism to simulations.

“This type of app is likely to be used in rural areas and in developing countries where funds are less likely to be available for training,” said Dr. Christopher Sakezles, founder of SynDaver Labs. “But anyone interested in learning more about EKGs can use this app to discover more about science and the vitals of the human body.”

Variables that are currently able to be set include heartbeats per minute, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, respiration rate, SPO2 and temperature. These values are displayed both numerically and by color coordinated dynamic waveform with mutable audio indicators for the heart rate.

A key difference between the SynDaver EKG simulator and other free simulator apps is SynDaver’s ability to pair two android devices via Bluetooth.

“This is ideal in for a classroom setting, as it allows an instructor to update the display remotely, in real time, in response to student interactions or to modify the training scenario on the fly,” said Sakezles.

Comparable simulators on the market cost around $1,750.

“I think it’s fair to say that better technology and training will eventually lead to lives being saved, which is the foremost reason behind the technologies we create,” Sakezles said. “While others in the industry may want to profit from something like this, we saw an unmet need that could easily be met, and decided to release our trainer for free.”

Anyone interested in downloading the SynDaver EKG Simulator can do so by clicking here.

About SynDaver Labs
SynDaver Labs manufactures synthetic humans for training in schools, hospitals and military installations. SynDaver has the world’s largest database of live-tissue properties and all SynDaver tissues are made from water, salts, and fibers. The company currently has 10 patents on these materials, processes, and related products. SynDaver Labs is headquartered in Tampa, Florida and employs more than 100 people. The company also has an advanced research facility located in Phoenix, Arizona and is planning additional facilities in the U.S., China, Europe, and Latin America.

For media inquiries and interview requests, contact our media relations team at (813) 279-8335 or contact@judgepr.com.

BELFAST, Ireland – SynDaver Labs’ Synthetic Human is scheduled to make its European debut at a conference in Belfast, Ireland this week, as the American company looks to expand into the European marketplace.

SynDaver Labs is scheduled to attend SESAM Belfast 2015 from June 24-26. SESAM, the Society in Europe for Simulation Applied to Medicine, is an annual medical and scientific conference that attracts exhibitors, sponsors and speakers from around the globe.

SynDaver was recently featured in April on the highly rated American television show, Shark Tank. The product has also been seen on Discovery Chanel’s MythBusters and Grey’s Anatomy on ABC.

This will be the first time that SynDaver has made the trek to Europe. Their goal is to find a distribution partner for the continent and begin researching locations for SynDaver Europe.

“We’re thrilled to participate in this year’s SESAM conference,” said Dr. Christopher Sakezles, founder of SynDaver Labs. “While we’re already in Asia, South America and North America, we’re very eager to bring this technology to Europe with the continued hope that our technology will save lives.”

According to Sakezles, his company is currently the only company in the world manufacturing synthetic cadavers. All other anatomical models on the market are made from plastic or rubber, while the SynDaver Synthetic Human is made from a proprietary library of more than 100 synthetic human tissues.

The SynDaver Synthetic Human is used primarily for surgical simulation, medical training, and medical device development testing.

The model includes skin with fat and fascia planes, all bones, muscles, tendon and ligaments, fully articulating joints, a functioning respiratory system with trachea, lungs and diaphragm, complete digestive tract from esophagus to rectum, urinary tract with kidneys, gall bladder, pancreas, spleen and reproductive organs. A functioning circulatory system with heart, coronaries, aorta, vena cava and vasculature to the extremities is also included.

The system works with all known imaging equipment, including CT, MRI, fluoroscopy and ultrasound, and all known surgical systems – even those that employ energy such as lasers.

About SynDaver Labs
SynDaver Labs manufactures synthetic humans for training in schools, hospitals and military installations. SynDaver has the world’s largest database of live-tissue properties and all SynDaver tissues are made from water, salts, and fibers. The company currently has 10 patents on these materials, processes, and related products. SynDaver Labs is headquartered in Tampa, Florida and employs more than 100 people. The company also has an advanced research facility located in Phoenix, Arizona and is planning additional facilities in the U.S., China, Europe, and Latin America.

For media inquiries and interview requests, contact our public relations firm at (813) 279-8335 or contact@judgepr.com.

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William Wright

TAMPA, Fla. – SynDaver Labs, a company that pioneered the manufacture of synthetic cadavers, has hired a new director of operations.

William Wright is scheduled to begin working on July 6 and will be based out of SynDaver’s Tampa headquarters. He resides in Madeira Beach with his wife and two rescue cats.

Wright brings over 25 years of operations and leadership experience in the medical device, biotech and manufacturing fields, both domestically and abroad. Most recently, Wright served in a senior operations capacity for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, an $18 billion biomedical research and science education organization. Wright also worked in roles from director of operations to general manager for various small, mid-size and large companies.

Along with a bevy of domestic experience in the medical and biotech fields, Wright was also the project leader for the first-ever FDA approved medical device manufacturing company in Indonesia. Through his leadership they achieved start-up in 15 months and obtained FDA approval within 18 months. He is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of ISO certified manufacturing experience.

This is not the first time Wright and SynDaver founder, Dr. Christoper Sakezles, have worked together however.

They have a history stemming back to the late 1990’s, when they worked together at a medical device manufacturer based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Wright recalls that he immediately recognized Sakezles as a brilliant engineer, and knew Sakezles was destined to do ground-breaking things.

It was a chance sighting on a local Tampa news station that brought the two back in touch.

Wright had recently moved back to the Tampa Bay area from Virginia when he saw a piece on Bay News 9, which highlighted SynDaver’s recent appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank.  Wright was so enthralled by Sakezles’s pioneering innovation that he immediately reached out to Sakezles about getting involved.

“First and foremost, I’m ecstatic about the opportunity to work with Chris again,” Wright said.  “This is a new approach to science and medicine.  There is an overwhelming demand for SynDaver’s products and services, and I’m looking forward to not only address this challenge, but to work towards the continued growth of SynDaver as well.”

About SynDaver Labs
SynDaver Labs manufactures synthetic humans for training in schools, hospitals and military installations. SynDaver has the world’s largest database of live-tissue properties and all SynDaver tissues are made from water, salts, and fibers. The company currently has 10 patents on these materials, processes, and related products. SynDaver Labs is headquartered in Tampa, Florida and employs more than 100 people. The company also has an advanced research facility located in Phoenix, Arizona and is planning additional facilities in the U.S., China, Europe, and Latin America.

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 This story is a bonus online element for the package on science entrepreneurship that appears in the 12 June issue of Science.

TAMPA, Fla. – A Tampa company that specializes in building synthetic humans hired their first employee who will focus solely on working with real human bodies this week.

On Monday, SynDaver Labs hired Patrick Mazzocco as their director of health and wellness.

Mazzocco, a 32-year-old Air Force veteran, is an International Sports Sciences Association certified master trainer and also a certified Level 1 CrossFit trainer.

“We decided to bring Patrick on because we truly want the best for our employees,” said Dr. Christopher Sakezles, founder of SynDaver Labs. “By allowing people the opportunity to take care of their physical fitness needs at work, we figure we can improve their work and personal life balance.”

SynDaver employees can sign up to participate in one, 30 minute class during each paid work day. Currently, employees can choose from classes in yoga and therapeutic form, nutrition, cross-training cardio and fitness, and a running club. In the future, SynDaver plans to build an octagon and offer classes in self-defense and mixed-martial arts.

As an ISSA master trainer, Mazzocco holds certifications in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition, personal training, senior fitness, strength and conditioning, and youth fitness.

Mazzocco came to Tampa from his hometown of Chicago when he was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in 2007. While he was with the Air Force, Mazzocco deployed eight times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He served as a Phoenix Raven team member. According to the Air Force, Phoenix Ravens are responsible for maintaining the security of aircraft transiting airfields where security is unknown or additional security is needed to counter local threats.

Mazzocco was honorably discharged in 2013. He is married and is expecting a baby girl with his wife Kristina in September.

About SynDaver Labs
SynDaver Labs manufactures synthetic humans for training in schools, hospitals and military installations. SynDaver has the world’s largest database of live-tissue properties and all SynDaver tissues are made from water, salts, and fibers. The company currently has 10 patents on these materials, processes, and related products. SynDaver Labs is headquartered in Tampa, Florida and employs more than 100 people. The company also has an advanced research facility located in Phoenix, Arizona and is planning additional facilities in the U.S., China, Europe, and Latin America.

For media inquiries and interview requests, contact our Tampa public relations firm at (813) 279-8335 or contact@judgepr.com.

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Synthetic Cadavers Offer An Equally Creepy Alternative To The Real Thing

As long as there have been medical schools, medical students have been dissecting dead bodies to learn the finer points of human anatomy. But now there’s a high-tech twist to this gruesome rite of passage, with artificial cadavers going toe-to-toe with the real thing.

One artificial cadaver, made by SynDaver Labs of Tampa Bay, Fla. has been in the spotlight recently because it was featured on the popular ABC show “Shark Tank.”

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An early prototype of the SynDaver synthetic human patient.

SynDaver’s life-size “Synthetic Human,” costs upward of $40,000 and is made of synthetic “tissue” that shares certain physical and even chemical properties with real flesh — including water, fiber and salt content, according to the company’s website. The cadaver contains hundreds of replaceable muscles, bones, organs, and vessels. Some models can even simulate bleeding and breathing.

Cadavers on campus. Some schools have explored using synthetic cadavers in their curricula, since the real ones are in limited supply.

“Many smaller colleges and universities cannot afford a full cadaver lab, and this model, which closely approximates a real cadaver, is very cost effective and on the cutting-edge of the way we can teach anatomy to our students,” Kevin McDade, an instructor of biology at Penn State University, said in a written statement when the cadaver was purchased by the university in January.

Nothing like the real thing. But other professors have their doubts about the value of artificial cadavers.

“While synthetic cadavers or digital models can be useful for review, they are inadequate for learning anatomy,” Dr. Paulette Bernd, professor of pathology and cell biology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, told The Huffington Post in an email, adding that of 55 U.S. medical schools that participated in a 2013 survey, all continued to use real cadavers.

So maybe synthetic cadavers will catch on in a big way — or maybe they won’t. But no matter how you slice it, they certainly aren’t the kind of thing we’d like to cuddle up with.