Bioimage Suite: A structural, functional and metabolic image analysis platform

描述（申请人提供）：虽然医学影像采集和医学影像分析技术在过去的20年里取得了巨大的进步，但三维成像的全部力量仍然没有被充分利用来评估临床和基础科学假设。这在一定程度上是由于缺乏易于使用，易于获得的软件，其中包括最先进的分析方法。Biolmage Suite代表了耶鲁大学图像处理和分析、磁共振和PET（正电子发射断层扫描）研究中心的软件开发成果的结合，该研究中心已经整合了许多图像分析任务的功能，包括结构和血管造影图像的自动和交互式分割、图像之间的刚性/非刚性配准和非刚性变形（例如在心脏图像中）的估计。以及功能（fMRI）和扩散张量（DTI）磁共振图像的分析，并将包括处理磁共振波谱（MRS）、单光子发射计算机断层扫描（SPECT）和PET图像的功能。其中许多方法都是耶鲁大学成像小组原创研究的结果。这项拨款申请的基本目标是扩展、记录和进一步测试该软件，以便为成像研究人员提供实用的软件套件，并使我们能够自由地将其传播给耶鲁大学和其他研究机构的研究人员。我们提出以下具体目标。(1)通过增加一组精心挑选的附加方法来扩展Biolmage Suite的底层算法基础；(2)改进Biolmage Suite目前可用的图形用户界面，并增加对数据库集成的广泛支持，这将简化处理检验假设所需的大量图像的任务；(3)测试和验证软件的正确操作；(4)完整地记录软件并使其免费提供给研究社区。与公共卫生相关：先进的计算机程序处理医学图像的可用性将大大提高医学成像技术的利用，这是了解许多重要疾病（如糖尿病、心血管疾病、自闭症、癫痫）、计划治疗（如神经外科）和评估其他拟议治疗程序（如新药）的关键工具。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While both medical imaging acquisition and medical image analysis technology have made enormous progress over the last 20 years, the full power of three-dimensional imaging is still not being fully utilized for evaluating both clinical and basic science hypotheses. This is, in part, due to the lack of easy to use, easily available software that includes state-of-the-art analysis methods. Biolmage Suite represents a coalescence of software development efforts originating at Yale in Image Processing and Analysis, Magnetic Resonance and PET (positron emission tomography) research centers that already incorporates functionality for many image analysis tasks including both automated and interactive segmentation of structural and angiography images, estimation of rigid/non-rigid registration and non-rigid deformation (e.g. in cardiac images) between images, and analysis of functional (fMRI) and diffusion tensor (DTI) magnetic resonance images and will include functionality to process magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), and PET images. Many of the included methods originated as a result of original research in the Yale imaging groups. The fundamental objective of this grant application is to extend, document and further test this software in order to provide a practical software suite for imaging researchers and enable us to freely disseminate it to researchers both at Yale and at other research institutions. We propose the following specific aims. (1) Expand the underlying algorithm base of Biolmage Suite by the addition of a carefully selected set of additional methods, (2) Improve the graphical user interface currently available in Biolmage Suite and add extensive support for database integration that will simplify the task of processing the large sets of images needed for testing hypotheses, (3) Test and verify the correct operation of the software and (4) Fully document the software and make it freely available to the research community. Relevance to Public Health: The availability of advanced computer programs for processing medical images will substantially improve the utilization of medical imaging technology which is a key tool in understanding many important diseases (e.g. diabetes, cardiovascular disease, autism, epilepsy), planning therapy (e.g. neurosurgery) and evaluating other proposed treatment procedures (e.g. new drugs).