XRlabs Showcases Patient-Specific 3D Surgical Rehearsal at NHS Big Pitch 2025
- XRlabs
- Aug 22
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 10
NHS BIG PITCH 2025, LONDON, 19 June 2025 -- XRlabs joined the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme’s flagship Big Pitch in London, an annual celebration of Clinical Entrepreneurs’ achievements, delivered this year in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA), SBRI Healthcare, and the Health Innovation Networks. The program featured main-stage keynotes from senior DHSC and NHS leaders, partner panels, live pitches, and an exhibition of innovations across the ecosystem.
A highlight of XRlabs’ presence was a live, patient-led conversation with Rebecca (“Becky”), her sister Fiona, and XRlabs founder Ali Haddad, a former neurosurgical resident at Imperial College NHS Trust. The discussion illustrated how XRlabs transforms standard CT and MRI scans into intuitive patient-specific 3D holograms for surgical rehearsal, patient education, and anatomical visualization, helping clinicians and patients share a clearer mental model before stepping into theatre.
From flat images to confident surgical rehearsal
On stage, Ali described the longstanding gap between 2D imaging and 3D anatomy and why XRlabs exists: to convert CT/MRI into interactive 3D holograms that enable patient-specific rehearsal and better conversations with patients prior to surgery.
“We’re enabling surgeons to see better… we’re building the next generation of what we called surgical intelligence.”
XRlabs’ extended reality approach centers on precision, speed, and usability, so surgical teams can examine critical structures from multiple angles and rehearse the approach in an environment that mirrors the patient’s unique anatomy.
A patient story that makes the impact tangible
Rebecca, who lives with von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease, shared how XRlabs factored into her most recent neurosurgical journey:
“With these goggles, it’s just amazing. It gave me my life again. I wouldn’t be here today.”
Fiona added how the technology gave the team a clearer map before entering theatre: surgeons could understand
“where they were going to go in, what nerves they were going to miss… you’re seeing somebody’s brain and you can look underneath, above… So a surgeon then can be more precise.”
Ali acknowledged Rebecca’s consultant neurosurgeon, Mr Dalton from Imperial College NHS Trust, noting the visible clinical progress: from being wheelchair-bound and unable to feed herself to walking, eating, and speaking, a poignant reminder of what better visualization and rehearsal can support when combined with expert care.
Why it matters
Clarity for clinicians: Patient-specific 3D holograms create a shared mental model and enable surgical rehearsal for complex cases, before the first incision.
Understanding for patients: Seeing their own anatomy in 3D helps patients grasp risks, trade-offs, and recovery in ways 2D scans rarely can.
System-wide momentum: Showcasing at Big Pitch alongside NHS partners underscores the demand for practical, clinician-led tools that improve outcomes and experience.
What’s next
XRlabs is partnering with clinical teams to scale extended reality-enabled, patient-specific surgical rehearsal and intraoperative visualization into pathways where millimeter-level precision is mission-critical.