Innovatiemandaat-Diana Sima - Biomedical diagnosis platform for magnetic resonance spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging services

From 01-09-2012 to 31-12-2013

Description

In this project we exploit a unique technological gap, namely the unbalanced ratio between, on one side, the wide availability and extraordinary possibilities offered by (clinical) MR scanners, and, on the other side, the lack of robust methods for automated analysis and interpretation in the medical world to fully benefit from these possibilities. This ratio is particularly unfavourable when it comes to MRS and MRSI. Nonetheless, as already mentioned and further illustrated in section 2.4, these techniques are proven to be useful in a range of clinical applications. In a highly controlled setting (e.g., in academic hospitals that have experts in MR spectroscopy, and for a limited number of patients and diseases) MRS(I) is currently in use. However, widespread adoption is hampered by practical issues in data acquisition, such as long acquisition time or high noise (if faster acquisition methods are employed), or in data analysis, such as the presence of nuisance factors (baseline and lineshape distortions, etc). Therefore, we envisage methods that can cope with fast acquisition sequences and noisy data, we propose advanced analysis methods that can meaningfully interpret and quantify the data, and we address improvements towards robustness and standardization. Additionally, the current trend in biomedical imaging is to make use of the diversity of and complementarities between various established or emerging imaging modalities (e.g, different types of images that can be acquired in the MR scanner to provide information of diffusion, perfusion, function etc.). The company of the industrial mentor, icoMetrix, offers expert services for a wide range of biomedical imaging modalities, and they are eager to also include state-of-the-art MRS(I) data analysis as complementary offer in their multi-modal portfolio. 

Team

• Dirk Loeckx, Co-promoter (External)
• Sabine Van Huffel, Promoter
• Diana Sima, Team member

Financing

Funding: IWT - Agentschap voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie 

Program/Grant Type: IWT IM - IWT Innovation mandates (IM)