Task-oriented optimization of high-performance positron emission tomography

正电子发射断层扫描（PET）允许对物体内部进行调查，无论是用于医学研究的人脑还是用于工业过程的混合容器内部。这项研究计划的目标是推进用于成像这些过程的计算算法和方法。目前对原始数据进行处理、重构和分析的方式，并没有充分考虑到做PET扫描的原因。这会导致图像质量差和不必要的高噪点。这个研究项目将从根本上改变处理的执行方式，要始终牢记：i)做扫描的原因，ii)如何从有限的噪声数据中提取最佳数据，以及iii)利用其他信息源（例如来自其他模态的图像）。考虑到这些因素，将有可能大大提高图像质量，使任何给定PET扫描仪的全部潜力得以实现。脑成像的首要任务将是更精确地测量脑功能，而对于工业过程成像，它将是混合或反应动力学的增强分辨率成像。理想情况下，所有算法都将完全集成到一个单元中，以确保在每个阶段最佳地使用原始PET数据和准确的噪声建模，从而利用可用数据实现手头任务的最高性能。该研究计划的另一个关键组成部分将是新型PET扫描仪的强大，先进的验证和质量保证，这将被大力追求，以支持所有图像质量的改进。

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) allows the inside of objects to be investigated, be it the human brain for medical research or the inside of a mixing vessel for industrial processes. The objective of this research program is to advance the computational algorithms and methods used for imaging these processes. At present, the way the raw data are processed, reconstructed and analyzed does not pay full attention to the reason why the PET scan is being done. This leads to poor image quality and unnecessarily high noise. This program of research will radically change the way the processing is performed, to always keep in mind: i) the reason for doing the scan, ii) how to draw the best out of the limited noisy data, and iii) exploitation of other sources of information (e.g. images from other modalities). By accounting for these factors much improved image quality will be possible, permitting the full potential of any given PET scanner to be realized. The top priority for brain imaging will be more accurate measurements of brain function, whereas for industrial process imaging it will be enhanced resolution imaging of mixing or reaction dynamics. Ideally all algorithms will be fully integrated into a single unit to ensure optimal use of raw PET data and accurate noise modeling at every stage, achieving the highest performance for the task in hand with the available data. A further pivotal component to this research program will be robust, advanced validation and quality assurance for novel PET scanners, which will be vigorously pursued in order to underpin all of the image quality improvements.