Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EMERALD (ElectroMagnetic imaging for a novel genERation of medicAL Devices)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-05-01 al 2022-04-30
EMERALD (ElectroMagnetic imaging for a novel genERation of medicAL Devices) is the coherent action of leading European engineering groups involved in electromagnetic (EM) technology for medical imaging to form a cohort of highly-skilled researchers capable of accelerating the translation of this technology “from research bench to patient bedside”. Nowadays, medical imaging technologies play a key role to face the ever-growing number of challenges due to aging populations, as they are the essential clinical tool to deliver accurate initial diagnosis and monitor the evolution of disease over time. For this reason, a whole range of new imaging modalities is currently being developed to supplement and support current modalities. Among these technologies, one of the most promising is EM imaging, which involves the illumination of the portion of the body under investigation with low-power non-ionizing EM waves (in the microwave spectrum) and the use of the resultant backscattered signals to generate images of the internal structures of the body. Hence, the main scientific objective pursued by the EMERALD action is to accelerate translation of research in EM medical imaging into clinical prototypes. To this end, EMERALD has established a group of 13 early stage researchers who will be the European leaders in this field, through a unique scientific and training programme. Its main objectives are:
- to set-up and support the first complete scientific and training programme in EM medical imaging at a European Level (and possibly worldwide);
- to provide the Early Stage Researchers (ESR) with excellent, multi-disciplinary scientific training and a set of competitive, transferable skills;
- to expose the ESRs to academic and non-academic sectors, improving their future career perspectives.
In conclusion, all the planned objectives were reached despite restrictions due to covid-19. All the training workshops and schools were performed, mostly on line, as well as almost all secondments, some of them also on-line. The ESRs’ research activities were developed according to each career development plan, and disseminated through journal papers and presentations at international conferences to the relevant scientific communities, and via outreach events to the general public.
- to set-up and support the first complete scientific and training programme in EM medical imaging at a European Level (and possibly worldwide);
- to provide the Early Stage Researchers (ESR) with excellent, multi-disciplinary scientific training and a set of competitive, transferable skills;
- to expose the ESRs to academic and non-academic sectors, improving their future career perspectives.
In conclusion, all the planned objectives were reached despite restrictions due to covid-19. All the training workshops and schools were performed, mostly on line, as well as almost all secondments, some of them also on-line. The ESRs’ research activities were developed according to each career development plan, and disseminated through journal papers and presentations at international conferences to the relevant scientific communities, and via outreach events to the general public.
The EMERALD activities were devoted to accelerate translation of research on EM medical imaging into clinical prototypes by advancing the technology, standardizing procedures and developing prototypes for novel applications.
To develop standardized phantoms for laboratory assessment of EM medical imaging devices, several 3-D printed phantoms have been realized and several mixtures for mimicking biological tissues have been prepared and characterized, based on the accurate knowledge of the EM properties of human tissues. Moreover, fast measurements of dielectric properties with a small size microwave transceiver have been performed, where the traditional swept frequency vector network analyser was replaced with a more compact microwave transceiver. To develop new components and core elements for enhanced performance EM imaging systems, a novel calibration procedure has been implemented, and meta-material antennas and new matching media were realized and tested in order to improve the performance of the EM medical devices.
From the software point of view, a full-wave 3-D EM computational tool has been optimized to model EM medical imaging devices and scenarios, and different types of phantom and antenna models together with various re-meshing techniques have been implemented. Then, imaging algorithms for medical diagnosis devices as well as for clinical follow-up devices have been validated first using accurate numerical simulations, and then via data measured with the realized EM imaging prototypes. Specific hardware accelerators were designed for the imaging algorithms’ kernels under various constraints, such as power consumption and resource usage.
Finally, five EM prototypes were designed, numerically and experimentally validated via numerical and physical phantoms, respectively. The realized EM systems were developed for cerebrovascular diseases imaging, axillary lymph node diagnosis, chemotherapy monitoring, hyperthermia treatment monitoring, and imaged guided microwave ablation.
During the project, all the 13 Fellows were enrolled on local Ph.D. beneficiaries’ training program and co-supervised by experts from academia, industry as well as clinicians. Eight network-wide training events were organized: the core transferable skills week in Torino (Italy), three general workshops (one in Belgrade, Serbia, and the other two on-line), three summer schools (one in Napoli, Italy, and the other two on-line) and the final conference in Paris (France) where the EMERALD main results were illustrated by the ESRs and supervisors to the scientific community and the industrial stakeholders.
Finally, all the Fellows were the primary contributors to several journal papers and presentations at international scientific conferences, and a digital open-access repository of human tissues’ dielectric properties was realized and made available on-line.
To develop standardized phantoms for laboratory assessment of EM medical imaging devices, several 3-D printed phantoms have been realized and several mixtures for mimicking biological tissues have been prepared and characterized, based on the accurate knowledge of the EM properties of human tissues. Moreover, fast measurements of dielectric properties with a small size microwave transceiver have been performed, where the traditional swept frequency vector network analyser was replaced with a more compact microwave transceiver. To develop new components and core elements for enhanced performance EM imaging systems, a novel calibration procedure has been implemented, and meta-material antennas and new matching media were realized and tested in order to improve the performance of the EM medical devices.
From the software point of view, a full-wave 3-D EM computational tool has been optimized to model EM medical imaging devices and scenarios, and different types of phantom and antenna models together with various re-meshing techniques have been implemented. Then, imaging algorithms for medical diagnosis devices as well as for clinical follow-up devices have been validated first using accurate numerical simulations, and then via data measured with the realized EM imaging prototypes. Specific hardware accelerators were designed for the imaging algorithms’ kernels under various constraints, such as power consumption and resource usage.
Finally, five EM prototypes were designed, numerically and experimentally validated via numerical and physical phantoms, respectively. The realized EM systems were developed for cerebrovascular diseases imaging, axillary lymph node diagnosis, chemotherapy monitoring, hyperthermia treatment monitoring, and imaged guided microwave ablation.
During the project, all the 13 Fellows were enrolled on local Ph.D. beneficiaries’ training program and co-supervised by experts from academia, industry as well as clinicians. Eight network-wide training events were organized: the core transferable skills week in Torino (Italy), three general workshops (one in Belgrade, Serbia, and the other two on-line), three summer schools (one in Napoli, Italy, and the other two on-line) and the final conference in Paris (France) where the EMERALD main results were illustrated by the ESRs and supervisors to the scientific community and the industrial stakeholders.
Finally, all the Fellows were the primary contributors to several journal papers and presentations at international scientific conferences, and a digital open-access repository of human tissues’ dielectric properties was realized and made available on-line.
The EMERALD research and training programme is very current and relevant, and is offering exciting challenges. Health and wellbeing are one of the major axes of all European research and development strategies and programs, and one of the most important societal challenges for Europe. In this framework, the development of novel imaging modalities is an essential step towards enhanced prevention (which entails reduced costs on the health system) and it is an essential pillar of the personalized medicine paradigm, which requires suitable diagnostic technologies to acquire patient-specific data, in order to accelerate its translation into clinics.
With respect to EM imaging, EMERALD is innovative because it addresses such challenges using a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach. The EMERALD approach encloses development in the building blocks of the technology as well as the pre-clinical prototypization of new devices and, last but not least, a close interaction of the EMERALD Fellows with clinicians, in order to raise mutual awareness and confidence; this is essential to properly address the technological development and set the ground for their acceptance in the stakeholder community.
The EMERALD trained researchers will drive the future developments of EM imaging technology, thanks to the targeted skills, they will attain, and their established connections with clinicians and stakeholders. The EMERALD consortium involves academic institutions, industrial partners, hospitals and university medical centres (as partner organizations). The main next result of the EMERALD innovative technological developments will be their translation into benefits to the end user community and to be taken to market, with an impact on both the European society and scientific community.
With respect to EM imaging, EMERALD is innovative because it addresses such challenges using a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach. The EMERALD approach encloses development in the building blocks of the technology as well as the pre-clinical prototypization of new devices and, last but not least, a close interaction of the EMERALD Fellows with clinicians, in order to raise mutual awareness and confidence; this is essential to properly address the technological development and set the ground for their acceptance in the stakeholder community.
The EMERALD trained researchers will drive the future developments of EM imaging technology, thanks to the targeted skills, they will attain, and their established connections with clinicians and stakeholders. The EMERALD consortium involves academic institutions, industrial partners, hospitals and university medical centres (as partner organizations). The main next result of the EMERALD innovative technological developments will be their translation into benefits to the end user community and to be taken to market, with an impact on both the European society and scientific community.