AI for Imaging & Image-Guided Interventions Lab (Completed)

A collaboration between UMC Utrecht, Universiteit Utrecht, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), and Hogeschool Utrecht (HU), working hand-in-hand with Prinses Máxima Centrum and 7 leading industry and societal partners.

*After 5 successful years, this lab has reached its completion and has now transitioned into the first ICAI Unit, scaling its mission on an even larger scale.  

 

The AI Lab for Imaging & Image-Guided Interventions centers its research on three core building blocks: image-guided therapies, nuclear therapies, and high-precision surgery.

 

To drive these advancements, the lab leverages key technical AI components, focusing primarily on:

 

  • Computer Vision
  • Decision Making
  • Machine Learning

 

With a commitment to explainable and responsible AI systems.

Sustainable Development Goals

About the lab

The AI Lab for Imaging & Image-guided Interventions is dedicated to bridging the gap between technical AI research and modern medical practices.

 

The lab’s mission and vision are to develop and evaluate novel technical AI components for medical imaging and image-guided interventions, building the fundamental knowledge base to make these interventions the standard approach in identifying and combating many diseases. By focusing on image-guided therapies, nuclear therapies, and high-precision surgery, the lab aims to provide the technological tools and human capacities necessary to transition into a new generation of healthcare that offers increased efficacy and reduced toxicity of treatments.

 

The impact of the lab lies in ameliorating the clinical outcomes and quality of life of patients by improving imaging methodology and treatment workflows in terms of quality, efficiency, and costs. This is achieved by validating breakthroughs directly in a live clinical setting (the open fieldlab at UMC Utrecht) across a spectrum of TRL3 to TRL9 alongside industrial and clinical partners, fostering young scientific talent through highly integrated MSc and PhD programs, and embedding explainable and responsible AI frameworks to ensure safety, regulatory compliance, and trust across the medical ecosystem.

Research projects

Image-guided scoliosis management – Focuses on treatment management and monitoring techniques for scoliosis, scaling from experimental proof-of-concept up to actual clinical implementation (TRL3–TRL9).

 

AI-driven image synthesis for spine regeneration – Focuses on MRI-to-CT conversion technology to safely guide the growth and regeneration of the juvenile scoliotic spine (TRL3–TRL9).

 

Liver cancer detection and quantification – Focuses on developing machine learning techniques to identify and measure liver cancer and metastases (TRL3–TRL9).

 

Pre-surgery hologram generation – Focuses on generating 3D hologram images of brain tumors to improve patient consultation and surgery planning (TRL3–TRL9).

 

Paediatric sarcoma data harmonization – Focuses on the AI-driven harmonization and segmentation of multicenter MRI data to support clinical decision-making in international trials (TRL3–TRL9).

 

Vertebral collapse prediction – Focuses on using artificial intelligence to predict vertebral collapse in patients suffering from multiple myeloma (TRL3–TRL9).

 

Orthopedic MRI diagnostics – Focuses on AI techniques for the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment planning of various orthopedic conditions (TRL3–TRL9).

 

Real-time radiotherapy reconstruction – Focuses on deep learning models for real-time image reconstruction and motion estimation to enable MRI-guided radiotherapy for abdominal, thoracic, and cardiac tumors (TRL3–TRL9).

 

Organ motion determination – Focuses on using machine learning techniques to calculate and track internal organ motion during interventions (TRL3–TRL9).

 

Wearable signal hemodynamics – Focuses on machine learning algorithms that determine critical hemodynamic parameters directly from wearable device signals (TRL3–TRL9).

 

Data-driven tissue mechanics – Focuses on discovering data-driven models for tissue mechanics by utilizing MRI data (TRL3–TRL9).

 

Deep learning radiation dose planning – Focuses on using deep learning to optimize and automate radiation dose planning workflows (TRL3–TRL9).

 

People

Partners

University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC) is one of the largest hospitals in the Netherlands, combining patient care, research, and education; it leads in image-guided therapies, oncology, and AI-driven medical imaging.

 

Utrecht University (UU) is a leading European research university known for its interdisciplinary science and education, offering programs such as the MSc in Medical Imaging and contributing expertise in AI and data science.

 

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) TU/e provides world-class expertise in image registration, segmentation, uncertainty quantification, and deep learning for healthcare, through its Biomedical Engineering and Medical Image Analysis groups.

 

Philips Healthcare represents a global health technology company that develops integrated solutions in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, and patient monitoring to improve health outcomes across the care continuum.

 

Elekta is a leader in precision radiation medicine, developing advanced tools and treatment planning systems for radiotherapy, radiosurgery, and brachytherapy, including the groundbreaking MR-Linac system.

 

MRIguidance is a medical imaging company that uses AI and MRI physics to produce radiation-free bone imaging (BoneMRI), enhancing diagnostic and surgical precision for orthopedic applications.

 

Sectra is a global IT company specializing in medical imaging and cybersecurity solutions that improve clinical workflows and patient-centered care in hospitals worldwide.

 

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