New age brain imaging techniques
Brain imaging is particularly challenging from many aspects and is currently hampered by low resolution issues, which lead to image "contamination" from surrounding structures. The problem becomes more intense in cases where atrophy is present, like Alzheimer's disease. The EU-funded project PVEOUT sought to expand existing technologies and overcome current limitations in order to arrive at functional images of higher accuracy. Functional images can be corrected for shape and size, based on corresponding brain structures. The need to validate these functional images and their analysis has led to the use of anthropomorphic 'brain phantoms', essentially man-resembling dummies. Physical phantoms have allowed researchers and practitioners to 'gain control' over object shape and material properties. Therefore the use of advanced phantoms can further increase the scope of the available technologies and set new standards for the diagnostics industry. Researchers at the Italian-based IBB-CNR have devised a novel anthropomorphic multi-compartment phantom, termed STEPBrain, suitable for PET/SPET and CT/MR imaging. STEPBrain appears to be unique on a global scale, created to contain separate and independent compartments, one for grey matter and one for white matter. STEPBrain can be used for the validation of varied methodologies for partial volume effect correction in low-resolution images, perhaps the only application to cover this. As such the potential of STEPBrain is significant indeed. The developers are keen to attract licensing interest from the diagnostics industry and are in a position to discuss a variety of collaboration models.
