IMRA Surgical expands synthetic-tissue manufacturing in Port Melbourne

IMRA Surgical has opened a Port Melbourne facility to expand manufacturing of synthetic organs and tissue for robotic-surgery training.

Expanded production in Port Melbourne

International Medical Robotics Academy (IMRA) Surgical has opened a facility in Port Melbourne, Victoria, to expand manufacturing of synthetic human organs and tissue for robotic-surgery training. The expansion is expected to create 10 high-skilled jobs and support A$3.5 million in capital investment over two years.

The company’s training torsos incorporate technology that allows them to be reused. The Victorian Government described this as a lower-cost alternative to traditional training models. IMRA’s research partnerships include CSIRO, RMIT and the University of Melbourne.

IMRA was established with Victorian Government support in 2017 as the Australian Medical Robotics Academy. Its activities subsequently expanded from medical robotics education into manufacturing synthetic tissue and organs. The Port Melbourne expansion is intended to increase manufacturing capacity as international demand grows.

Hydrogel models for specialist technology training

IMRA Surgical announced a collaboration with Telix Pharmaceuticals on Sep 23, 2025 to develop training models for radio-guided robotic surgery. The companies planned a hydrogel model for education in the use of Telix’s SENSEI drop-in gamma-probe technology. IMRA’s synthetic surgical phantoms are hydrogel-based medical models designed to simulate human tissue responses during procedural training.

IMRA Surgical

The collaboration also envisaged specialised courses and events focused on SENSEI. These initiatives were intended to support the technology’s international rollout and expand the market for the companies’ training models and radio-guided surgery products.

Telix’s medical technologies management identified three parts of the procedure workflow that the models were intended to support:

Imaging.
Surgical planning.
Execution of the surgical procedure.

The proposed model would give practitioners hands-on training with the technology using synthetic tissue. The partners aimed to extend training without relying on cadavers or animal tissue. Further company information is available at https://imrasurgical.com/.

SENSEI’s drop-in gamma probe is designed specifically for robotic-assisted surgery, with a miniature form comparable in size to an AA battery.