Texas A&M purchases synthetic canines for vet students

Veterinary students at Texas A&M now have the opportunity to practice surgical veterinary procedures — not on live animals, but on synthetic ones.

Texas A&M’s vet school was the first to purchase 15 of SynDaver Lab’s breathing and bleeding live animal replacement surgical trainers to be used in the 2017 to 2018 school year. SynDaver Labs manufactures synthetic human and animal trainers made from water, fiber and salt. The company’s synthetic humans have been featured on shows like MythBusters, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI and Cross Bones. The synthetic canines will now be used to train future veterinarians before graduation.

This weekend, more than 360 professionals in the veterinary industry from across the globe gathered in College Station for the inaugural Veterinary Innovation Summit hosted by Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the North American Veterinary Community. During the summit, participants were able to learn more about innovative teaching methods, such as synthetic canines.

Christopher Sakezles, SynDaver CEO, said the synthetic animals became commercially available in January. Other universities will likely begin purchasing the canine models in the near future.

”It’s a great seal of approval,” Sakezles said. “When you have a top-10 university like TAMU pick it up it really helps get the word out to other schools. Then the other schools take it more seriously, not that they weren’t already; but when you see a major school pick it up and integrate it into the curriculum, people notice.”

Karen Cornell, associate dean for professional programs at A&M, said the synthetic canines will offer veterinary students an opportunity to practice their skills in the classroom before they practice on live pets.

Veterinary students at Texas A&M now have the opportunity to practice surgical veterinary procedures — not on live animals, but on synthetic ones.

Texas A&M’s vet school was the first to purchase 15 of SynDaver Lab’s breathing and bleeding live animal replacement surgical trainers to be used in the 2017 to 2018 school year. SynDaver Labs manufactures synthetic human and animal trainers made from water, fiber and salt. The company’s synthetic humans have been featured on shows like MythBusters, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI and Cross Bones. The synthetic canines will now be used to train future veterinarians before graduation.

This weekend, more than 360 professionals in the veterinary industry from across the globe gathered in College Station for the inaugural Veterinary Innovation Summit hosted by Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the North American Veterinary Community. During the summit, participants were able to learn more about innovative teaching methods, such as synthetic canines.

Christopher Sakezles, SynDaver CEO, said the synthetic animals became commercially available in January. Other universities will likely begin purchasing the canine models in the near future.

”It’s a great seal of approval,” Sakezles said. “When you have a top-10 university like TAMU pick it up it really helps get the word out to other schools. Then the other schools take it more seriously, not that they weren’t already; but when you see a major school pick it up and integrate it into the curriculum, people notice.”

Karen Cornell, associate dean for professional programs at A&M, said the synthetic canines will offer veterinary students an opportunity to practice their skills in the classroom before they practice on live pets.