https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/press-releases/me-3d/

Me in 3D

4 Jan 2012, 3:07 p.m.

3D Morphology

Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Science Museum, University College Hospital and the Eastman Dental Hospital and Institute have joined up to launch an exciting new project to create the largest database of face shapes in the world.  The information will be used by medical teams and researchers to treat patients who have to have facial surgery.  Me in 3D will run from 11 January until 10 April at the Science Museum and visitors can volunteer to have their photograph taken with a 3D camera and explore what their faces look like in another dimension.

The photographs will be taken using the latest 3D imaging technology and will be used to form the largest database of 3D facial images in the world and will help with vital research. Researchers will use the photographs to study patterns in face shape and this could help surgeons improve treatment for patients with facial disfigurement.

Dr Chris Abela, Senior Craniofacial Fellow, Great Ormond Street Hospital said: “We know a lot about the bones in our faces but little is known about what makes our face the shape it is and about the skin and muscles that make up our face. By collecting as many 3D face photographs as we can we will have a greater understanding of our complex faces, and have greater knowledge to plan and perform the best facial surgery in the future. This is a really exciting event and we want as many children, young people and adults to come and see themselves in 3D.”

Priya Umachandran, Contemporary Science Developer at the Science Museum said: “The Science Museum thrives on engaging visitors in the latest contemporary science issues and our Live Science programme lets visitors meet the experts and involves the public directly in cutting-edge research which has an impact upon all of us.”

Me in 3D is FREE and open to all visitors and no booking is required. For more information visit http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/mein3d / http://mein3d.info/

Contact Information

GOSH-ICH Press Office: 020 7239 3125
For genuine and urgent out of hours call speak to switchboard on 020 7405 9200.

Notes to Editors

The 3D camera is funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity http://www.gosh.org/gen/
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust is the country’s leading centre for treating sick children, with the widest range of specialists under one roof.
With the UCL Institute of Child Health, we are the largest centre for paediatric research outside the US and play a key role in training children’s health specialists for the future.
Our charity needs to raise £50 million every year to help rebuild and refurbish Great Ormond Street Hospital, buy vital equipment and fund pioneering research. With your help we provide world class care to our very ill children and their families.

Science Museum

The Science Museum’s collections form an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical change from the past. Aiming to be the best place in the world for people to enjoy science, the Science Museum makes sense of the science that shapes our lives, sparking curiosity, releasing creativity and changing the future by engaging people of all generations and backgrounds in science, engineering, medicine, technology, design and enterprise. www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

UCL Eastman Dental Institute

With over 50 years of experience the UCL Eastman Dental Institute is a leader in education and research in the oral health care sciences. The Institute serves the needs of the local, national and international graduate dental community. Most clinical teaching is based at the co-located Eastman Dental Hospital. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/eastman/

University College Hospital and the Eastman Dental Hospital

University College Hospital and the Eastman Dental Hospital form part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), situated in the West End of London. UCLH is one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom and provides first-class acute and specialist services. The new state-of-the-art University College Hospital which opened in 2005, is the focal point of the trust alongside five cutting-edge specialist hospitals. The Eastman Dental Hospital is one of the UK’s
largest dental hospitals, providing high-quality care for patients with complex and specialised
oral problems. The Eastman is world famous for the services it delivers and is recognised as
a pre-eminent centre in the field of dentistry. UCLH is committed to research and development and forms part of UCL Partners which in March 2009 was officially designated as one of the UK's first academic health science centres by the Department of Health. UCLH works closely with UCL, translating research into treatments for patients. www.uclh.nhs.uk.

www.3dMD.com

As a world-recognized pioneer in non-invasive 3D imaging for clinical application, 3dMD develops and provides the accepted global standard for high-precision 3D camera systems and analysis software to support innovative research and clinical initiatives. With origins in the UK and more than 1,200 3D cameras worldwide, 3dMD has enabled leading academic institutions, hospitals, and practices to embrace a new highly-objective medium for accurately documenting the patient’s appearance in 3D throughout the treatment cycle. 3dMD systems are routinely used by some of the world's leading centres to help establish future advancements in patient care and treatment. The 3dMD customer community in the UK includes… Great Ormond Street Hospital; The Eastman Dental Institute; University College London Hospital; Guy’s Hospital; Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge; The Royal Surrey Hospital; The Royal Free Hospital; Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool; Royal Manchester Infirmary; Morriston Hospital, Swansea; Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham; Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne; Birmingham Dental Hospital, and many more.