Objective
The objective of the project is to make a significant contribution to medical imaging techniques by developing improved methods for volume reconstruction. This will involve the development of advanced new algorithms which can only be run cost-effectively on parallel systems. The project will concentrate primarily on positron emission tomography (PET) which presents significant algorithmic challenges. The algorithms must run quickly in order to achieve satisfactory rates for those high-quality reconstruction necessary to improve clinical procedures and diagnostic techniques. Current and anticipated data rates and scanner resolutions and the new numerically intensive algorithms needed to produce high quality images preclude the use of current single-microprocessor systems and those likely to be available within the next five years. In order to make the proposed breakthrough in image reconstruction it will be necessary to use high-performance parallel systems, an area in which Europe has a strong tradition and manufacturing base.
Responding to a clear demand from clinical practitioners, the results of the project can benefit European industry in three ways: firstly, through an improvement in image quality, they will support clinical researchers and physical scientists in the development of advanced diagnostic techniques and the pharmaceutical industry in the testing of therapeutic compounds; secondly they can help European scanner manufacturers to offer competitive systems through the Use of embedded High Performance Computing (HPC); thirdly they can benefit European manufacturers of embedded HPC systems whose market will be stimulated if the project demonstrates successful results. The former case has not only potential industrial benefit, but can also advance society through the improvement of medical techniques and patient care.
The project involves leading players from the UK, the Hammersmith Hospital, and Italy, the Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, who are at the forefront of the development of clinical techniques related to PET. The coupling of this expertise with the strong algorithm capabilities of Brunel University, UK, and with the parallel processing expertise of Parsytec, Germany, the leading EUropean supplier of embedded parallel processing hardware, will contribute to the development of an advanced European volume reconstruction capability. The project is strengthened through the collaboration of the Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland, who will bring significant PET and parallel processing expertise into the project and who will contribute strongly to the end-user focus of the algorithmic development, and the Optimisation Laboratory at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion University Haifa, Israel who will contribute state-of-the-art expertise in reconstruction algorithms extending their work in this area already funded by industry. The project has a strong European dimension bringing together leading researchers, leading clinicians and a leading halfware vendor from across the EU in a collaboration strengthened by the participation of peer organisations in Switzerland and Israel. The level of risk involved in the development of the proposed algorithms is appropriate for a Long Term Research project. Not only will the project have a strong end-user focus, but its industrial relevance will be consolidated through the involvement of companies and organisations active in the field of medical imaging. An end-user forum will meet regularly to review the activities of the project and will ensure, together with the project management, that the focus of the project fits clinical and industrial needs. Already several companies, Siemens, Elscint, Silicon Graphics and GE, have agreed to participate in this forum and letters of intent are appended to this proposal. This strong industrial involvement in the project will ensure the market relevance of the results. This will benefit the European economy directly through Siemens and Elscint and through the EU medical OEM partners of Silicon Graphics and GE. Participation of further appropriate organisations, including clinical users, in this forum will be sought if this proposal is successful. This accords with the EU policy of ensuring that research is focused toward the needs of industry.
The intention is to set up a focused project involving six partners concentrating on the development of new, more accurate algorithms for PET reconstruction. The clinical partners will gather and pre-process data and provide feedback to the algorithm developers on the quality of reconstruction. Parsytec will integrate the prototype high performance system, comprising off-the-shelf modules, with the scanner systems of the clinicians and will provide parallelisation advice to the algorithm developers. The algorithm developers will work closely with the clinicians to ensure that the algorithms developed have a clinical relevance and usefulness, monitored carefully through the end-user forum. This strong coupling between the partners will ensure rapid algorithmic development and will allow the earliest possible exploitation of the results of the project both the clinical partners, by Parsytec and organisations in the end-user forum.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering computer hardware supercomputers
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry metalloids
- engineering and technology medical engineering diagnostic imaging
You need to log in or register to use this function
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Data not available
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
52068 Aachen
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.