The X-ray beams used in medical equipment contain a wide spectrum of X-ray energies, which can be thought of as different X-ray colours. Why are spectroscopic X-ray detectors such a breakthrough technology? “CERN has a proactive knowledge transfer policy and I am proud of the role the Medipix project participants and our commercial partners have played in pioneering high-resolution spectroscopic X-ray imaging.” ![]() “A lot of the technology that makes spectroscopic X-ray imaging possible emerged from fundamental research and, in particular, from detector R&D for experiments in high-energy physics,” says Giovanni Anelli, head of CERN’s Knowledge Transfer group. CERN and the New Zealand company MARS Bioimaging teamed up in 2008 to develop this 3D colour X-ray scanner based on the Medipix3 technology. “Spectroscopic X-ray imaging is set to revolutionise diagnostic medical imaging by providing better images with a lower dose to the patient, allowing new workflows that optimise precious hospital resources.”Įven closer to CERN, MARS Bioimaging’s 3D colour X-ray wrist scanner is awaiting approval to start clinical trials at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV, Switzerland) and is the subject of ongoing clinical trials within the Pacific Radiology Group, New Zealand's largest radiology service provider. “The CERN workshops have been instrumental in advancing this technology and bringing it from the lab to the clinic,” says keynote speaker Dushyant Sahani MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Radiology, University of Washington. This is the first scanner using spectroscopic X-ray imaging officially approved for regular medical use in the world. The CERN workshops have helped in crystallising the ideas and in forming a vibrant community of specialists who were convinced of the potential of the technology.”Īnd here they are today, celebrating a major milestone for the technology: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2021 of “ the first new major technological improvement for computed tomography imaging in nearly a decade” in the form of a photon counting scanner from Siemens. “CERN is the world’s largest physics laboratory, with field-leading capabilities in microelectronics and particle detectors and a long history of global scientific collaboration, making it the ideal venue for such a workshop. ![]() “Eleven years ago, there was a lot of scepticism about the technical feasibility and the clinical benefits of spectroscopic X-ray imaging,” says Michael Campbell, spokesperson of the Medipix collaborations at CERN. Their affiliations range from large medical equipment suppliers through to start-up companies and from world-renowned research hospitals to small but active university groups. ![]() This year, more than 100 participants – clinicians, radiologists, medical physicists, biologists, tracer developers, imaging system specialists and detector and ASIC developers – are taking part in the workshop. Launched in 2011 and held every two years, this workshop brings together specialists from different fields to focus on how best to advance efforts and understanding in this new imaging technique (also known as “photon counting imaging”, a technology that makes colour computed tomography possible). The sixth Workshop on Medical Applications of Spectroscopic X-ray Detectors is currently taking place at CERN.
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