Senior Malaysian government officials are in Bradford today for the opening of the city’s new multi-million pound digital autopsy facility.

Digital autopsy is described as the revolutionary new generation of post-mortem investigation, offering 3D digital body reconstructions. It aims to improve the performance and results of examinations and is a more compassionate way of conducting them, reducing stress and anxiety for families.

The service, at the Public and Forensic Mortuary in Burnham Avenue will be officially opened by Bradford Council’s deputy leader Coun Imran Hussain. A medical team from iGene, the company behind the facility, and government officials from Malaysia, where the company has its headquarters, will also be there.

The Bradford facility is the second to open in the UK as part of a £50 million investment from iGene for a network of 18 centres across the UK.

Dr Alan Fletcher, head of Medical Science at iGene, said: "We are delighted that the Digital Autopsy Facility in Bradford is opening, which will not only complement the current arrangements for coronial investigation, but offer people an unrivalled opportunity moving forwards to avoid an invasive post mortem.

"Digital Autopsy represents a tremendous compassionate step forward in establishing the cause of death. It is non or minimally invasive, therefore avoiding having to dissect the body, and it can facilitate the earlier release of bodies for burial or cremation, which is also an important factor for grieving families."

Ash Govind, iGene global vice president, added: "We are delighted to be working with forward-thinking local authorities such as Bradford Council and the new facility underlines our commitment to having a nationwide network of Digital Autopsy centres available to every person in the UK."

Deputy Leader of Bradford Council, Coun Imran Hussain, said: "I'm very proud that Bradford will be one of the first places in the country to have these digital scanning facilities. It will be welcome news for all bereaved families.”

Digital Autopsy involves a scan of the body using a multislice CT scanner, before iGene's revolutionary, proprietary software 'INFOPSY®' creates a 3D reconstruction of the actual body, enabling the pathologist to conduct a full, non-invasive digital post mortem on a computer screen. The results, which meet all required medico-legal standards, are available almost immediately.