Rapid determination of organ microstructure and vasculature via advanced x-ray micro-CT

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1) Brief Description The field of micro-CT has seen massive advances over recent years, with an exponential growth in the number of companies active in the area. However all current micro-CT is done in the same way, using standard source/detector technology and measuring x-ray attenuation: not only does this limit image quality (e.g. micro-CT has limited soft tissue contrast), but also the application remit of the technology itself.This project will use novel x-ray technology, novel x-ray detectors and novel image sensing mechanisms, ultimately providing a new type of 3D x-ray images with higher resolution, exquisite soft-tissue contrast and the ability to extract functional information through targeted use of imaging markers which will be correlated in real time with the surrounding anatomical information. 2) Aims and ObjectivesThe objectives of this project are to optimise all new elements of the "micro-CT 2.0" individually, combine them in an optimally integrated fashion, apply them to significant biomedical problems and assess the improvements over existing technology.Objective 1 Optimised energy-sensitive x-ray detection: test available energy-resolved detector technology and select the best one for our purposes.Objective 2 Match detector technology to source technology - test selected detector with different x-ray beam characteristics and optimise acquisition parameters as a result (energy thresholds etc).Objective 3 Optimise acquisition modality and spatial resolution - select optimal phase-based imaging method and couple it with resolution enhancement scheme.Objective 4 Identify 2-3 key biomedical areas (as mention we have an initial emphasis on the thymus but additional areas will be explored e.g. cancer and cardiovascular).Objective 5 Quantitatively assess advantages over existing technology.Engagement with additional biomedical researchers will ensue to expand scope of research, and with collaborating companies to pursue commercial translation of the obtained results.3) Novelty of Research MethodologyThis will revolutionise the use of micro-CT in biomedical research as it will allow studies that are currently impossible. Biomedical research is largely based on optical microscopy methods which have limited penetration depth and field of view; the outcome of this research will allow extracting the same information from entire organs in a truly three-dimensional fashion. It will be picked up by academic and industrial communities alike, leading to next-generation CT scans and ultimately to in vivo translation. This project will generate a radically new imaging modality with huge potential. There is also significant overlap with image acquisition, image reconstruction, image analysis.4) Alignment to EPSRC's strategies and research areasThe physical and mathematical sciences powerhouse - We will develop radically new approaches to imaging and image analysis Frontiers in engineering and technology - We will create a step change in imaging technologyTransforming health and healthcare - Application of the above technology will have significant impact on health and healthcareEnsuring an effective ecosystem for engineering and physical sciences - We foster collaboration between researchers from the life & physical sciences and the wider community will be able to access the methods & technologies we'll develop5) CollaboratorsThe main industrial collaborator is Nikon, other collaborators are the Crick Institute and the Institute of Child Health.