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Part of the Joel Lecture series
Recorded on 18 July 2023
The last decade has seen unprecedented advances in the capability of neuroimaging technologies for studies of the human brain. Many of these advances have targeted increasingly specific investigations of brain activity and function under a range of applications. The advent of non invasive technologies has opened up whole new horizons for how, when and where we can image the brain.
During this lecture Clare discuss' the transformative impact of one such technology, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a portable, wearable and affordable optical neuroimaging technique. Engineering innovations have enabled NIRS images of brain oxygen metabolism to be acquired in infants and adults. NIRS studies of the developing brain are paving the way for early markers of autism in toddlers and following its successful implementation in resource poor settings, NIRS is now an important brain imaging tool in global health studies.
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7/21/2023
MRI is a big, donut-shaped machine that doctors use to take pictures of patients’ insides. Not many people know that MRI is incredibly flexible. It is like a sci-fi camera that can look under your skin and use different settings to map brain activity, brain microstructure, iron levels, and blood flow just to name a few. In this talk, I will illustrate how this is possible, showcase a variety of these brain maps, and explain how they can help tackle Alzheimer’s disease in an ongoing UK-wide clinical study.
3
8/8/2022
The recent advent of phase and scattering X-ray imaging techniques promises a revolution in the field, with the potential to provide high-quality multi-contrast images for samples that are difficult to study with only conventional approaches. Edge-illumination in particular, developed here at UCL, goes even further in ensuring that even the smallest details can be seen, and empowers users with its extreme flexibility. This has applications in a wide range of fields, from clinical environments to the aerospace industry. In this lecture, we will introduce the principles behind phase and scattering X-ray imaging and show the strengths of the edge-illumination technique. By the end of our time, you will understand how a simple restructuring of the X-rays opens up a whole wealth of possibilities for scientists, clinicians, and a wide range of industries.
2
7/25/2022
We designed and implemented and E2E dosimetry test, that with the use of an anatomically correct mouse phantom, simulates all the steps of the image guided radiation treatment process of small animals: positioning, imagining, contouring of planning volume, targeting and dose delivery. Instead of an specific tumoral volume, an alanine pellet (passive dose detector) is irradiated and the dose calculated with the treatment planning system is compared to the measured dose. 100 % of analysed dose differences, from the six participant institutions, were within +/- 10% (87.5% within +/-5%). That result is an indication of the level of accuracy that is possible to achieve while delivering dose to targeted volumes in relevant mice irradiation conditions for preclinical research.
The work demonstrated that alanine is a suitable detector and that the developed end-to-end test, in combination with a purposely designed phantom is adequate to support the efforts in improving and harmonizing dosimet
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6/7/2022
Dr Martin Fry demonstrates how paralysed muscles can be stimulated by electricity and tells the story of how useful this can be!
6980
3/2/2017