ITALY

Digital Imaging Multimodal Platform Neuromed - DIMP NEUROMED

The Digital Imaging Multimodal Platform Neuromed - DIMP NEUROMED is a single- sited, multimodal Node aiming to provide access to an integrated digital analysis support for preclinical and clinical studies in the field of neuroscience, extending from the study and evaluation of animal models to their translation into clinical practice. It is composed of a preclinical (Multimodal Molecular Imaging) and clinical (Population Imaging) access to imaging technologies and molecular probes, producing digital images which are elaborated in a dedicated High Performance Computing System (Population Imaging). Data are collected with multimodal imaging instrumentation and analyzed to extrapolate imaging features to quantitative parameters of clinical interest. These parameters are exported to the classification of the clinical case.

A similar approach is used for the study of cancer therapies response, which are first done with mice models and xenografted cancers.

A view of the NEUROMED campus

Users can either perform their preclinical and population imaging studies using the measurement and analysis infrastructure, or profit of the large database of preclinical and clinical digital images in order to test their hypothesis with artificial intelligence tools developed by Neuromed (based on Convolutional Neural Networks and local TensorFlow applications).

Specialties and expertise of the Node

Beyond the conventional functional imaging equipment (including among others a micro PET/CT and a 7T MRI system), the available instrumentation includes a Digital microPET/CT (RAYCAN E180) scanner, which, unique in Europe, allows to obtain high resolution functional images in dynamic mode, with time slices as short as 30 seconds thanks to its extremely high sensitivity.NEUROMED develops its own dedicated image reconstruction algorithms, image visualization and analysis techniques. Brain segmentation, textural characterization and statistical analysis algorithms developed by the center are available for precise quantitative analysis.

The equipment has been recently completed by one of the most modern high performance computing systems based on the Memory Driven Computing architecture by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), which has been developed specifically for “-omics” studies and population imaging studies. Access to the digital imaging platform iPLAT, with customized artificial intelligence and convolutional neural network-based image analysis software developed by the Neuromed scientists for the classification of neurological and oncological diseases based on medical images, is provided.

Offered Technologies

Micro PET/CT for small animal and plant models

Additional services offered by the Node

• Project planning and methodological setup
• Wet labs
• Cell culture facilities
• Animal housing
• Chemistry and radiochemistry labs
• Biobanking
• Data processing and analysis
• Data storage

A view of the Bio Bank for Population Imaging studies

Contact details

Administrative coordinator:
Dr. Emilia Belfiore
dimp@neuromed.it

Scientific coordinator (representation in the Panel of the Euro-BioImaging Nodes)
Prof. Dr. Nicola D’Ascenzo
nicola.dascenzo@neuromed.it