Biomedical Modeling  

The Biomedical Modeling Laboratory develops new computer techniques to help physicians characterize, diagnose and treat disease more precisely and with less destruction to healthy tissues.

The laboratory’s research has been applied in the operating room, where pre-operative MRI, CT and other scans are integrated and modified computationally to accurately predict what the surgeon will encounter during the operation as tissues shift in response to surgical procedures.

In addition to this model-updating image-guided predictive model that guides surgeons, the laboratory has developed a laser range scanning method that can accurately measure organ surfaces during surgery. These techniques are being applied in neurosurgery and liver surgery.

The laboratory is also working on developing new imaging techniques to differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissue in parts of the body where it is difficult to diagnose due to the various characteristics of the tissues and the limitations of traditional imaging modalities. For example, the laboratory is developing a comprehensive tissue elasticity imaging technique that can augment any standard imaging modality (MRI, CT, optical, etc.). This work would potentially lead to better diagnostic indicators for cancerous tissue. Related work using similar algorithms to detect areas of electrical activation within tissue is also ongoing.

Researchers in the laboratory are also developing models of tumor growth to assist in analyzing the extent of disease as recorded by MRI, and potentially to monitor tumor therapies.

Director: Michael I. Miga,

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

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