The extensive use of imaging techniques, which are used to extract information from objects of interest such as the human body, microorganisms, or black holes, has been instrumental in addressing challenges in various fields including medicine, biology, and astronomy. Under certain principles, each of these evolving fields has developed its own set of tools to achieve goals, and even within the same one, methodologies are often difficult to relate. The available data, massive in most cases, eventually leads to a problem in its usage, due to its collection regardless of the quality, making it difficult to manage, transfer and analyse. In biomedical imaging, translating research developments in image processing and analysis to healthcare devices often raises important questions. These include whether changes to current technology should be implemented, considering the potential benefits to both the patient and the provider. Concerns can be addressed when a proper back-and-forth relation between computational experiments and real data from an experimental setup exists. The CONcISE network aims at reconciling the usage of biomedical data in two main paths. Using ‘information bandwidth’ compression in the construction of sources and detectors, some of the main components of an imaging system, the acquisition can be greatly improved. On the other hand, an adaptive decision at the time of acquiring regards for the most informative sampling based on previous data promotes a differential speed-up on current non-adaptive schemes provided the amounts of available data for data-driven assistance.
By dividing into specialised groups, the doctoral candidates can tackle specific challenges within biomedical imaging, each contributing to the broader goal of improving imaging techniques and applications. Below, the CONcISE specialised groups are presented.
SMART-DOT:
- Objective: Simultaneous mapping of absorption and scattering in thick biological tissues at different wavelengths.
- Applications: Non-invasive techniques such as optical mammography and brain functional imaging.
SMART-FLUO:
- Objective: Multispectral fluorescence imaging for endoscopy.
- Technique: Usage of structured light illumination.
- Orientation: More clinically oriented goal.
SMART-2PM:
- Objective: Possibility of wide-field 2-photon microscopy.
- Technique: Light-structured illumination, integrated detection, and computational imaging.
- Enhancements: Improve penetration depth, sensitivity, and imaging speed.
Within the CONcISE network, led by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, eight beneficiaries and four associated partners from 8 European countries participate in the development of several intersectoral programmes, providing doctoral candidates with a wide range of multidisciplinary formation in the academic and industrial sectors organised in the form of ‘topical schools’. So far these events have fostered a collaborative environment of knowledge sharing and skill development.
