Research Subject Pick up Subject! Image quality improvement and image reconstruction for micro-CT Micro X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT) is an imaging modality with significantly higher spatial resolution compared to medical CT. This modality enables nondestructively observing the internal structure of small objects and has been mainly used for nondestructive inspection in industrial fields. In recent years, the scope of micro-CT research has been expanded to the medical field, particularly in the analysis of the three-dimensional structure of pathological specimens and biological tissues. Although micro-CT has the potential to provide information to medical and research fields, many issues are still needed to be addressed for medical applications, such as low-quality images and longer scan time. My research aims to tackle these issues in order to accelerate medical applications of micro-CT by developing algorithms and reconstruction techniques for improving image quality. My research mainly focuses on software development, but we also investigate stating and contrast-enhanced methods. We aim to solve issues from both hardware and software improvement, with the goal of social implementation in the future. Takayuki OKAMOTOAssistant Professor Research Subject Medical Photonics, Multispectral Image EngineeringWe are studying methods for imaging and measurement of micro-structure, components and metabolism in biological body using visible and infrared lights. For example, we measure oxygen saturation of hum ...Multimodal Medical EngineeringIn addition to the above-mentioned optical measurement, we integrate information from macroscopic modalities such as MRI and CT to aim the improvement of diagnosis performance.Medical Image Analysis, Image ReconstructionWe are interested in image reconstruction or image enhancement of some specific features from a limited number of obtained images or low SNR signals using a priori knowledge and studying the methods f ...Analysis of surgical energy devicesWe have been analyzing engineering properties and those bilogical effects of various sugical energy devices. Especially, detour current of the bipolar vessel sealing systems and cavitation generated f ...Development of a photodynamic immunotherapy of cancer-metastatic lymph nodesLiposomes composed of phospholipids have been shown increased accumulation specificities into the lymphatic systems, and liposomal formulation of Indocyanin green (ICG) has been known to produce heat ...Multiscale ultrasound tissue characterizationIn general ultrasonic diagnosis, ultrasound waves of several MHz are radiated into the body from the body surface and visualization of ultrasonic information reflected from various tissues (echo) is p ...Quantitative indexing of ultrasonic diagnosisIn order to realize multiscale diagnosis, it is indispensable to develop numerous elementary procedures. For example, we proposed multiple signal analysis methods to evaluate the scattering characteri ...Robotics fundamental and application technology for home rehabilitation and care support We are studing and developing robotics fundamental and application technology for home rehabilitation and care support. It is necessary to detect the intention and states of the target persons of home ...Elucidation of mechanisms of sensation, perception, and cognition in humans using non-invasive methodsWe have been studying about perception mechanisms of humans, mainly audition, using various techniques; non-invasive neurophysiological measurements, psychological measurements, physioacoustical measu ...Elucidation of bone-conduction mechanisms and its applications to welfare, medical and communication devicesBone-conduction has been used for not only hearing aids for the conductive hearing loss, but also various communication devices like headphones without covering ears and specialized communication tool ...Optimization of the audio-visual environments using psychological and neurophysiological dataTo optimize our living spaces, it is essential to assess subjective impression objectively and precisely. We are developing comfortable and value-added audio-visual environments using psychological an ...Surgical Navigation by Projection-Based Augmented RealityIn order to reduce the burden on the surgeon in laparoscopic surgery, we propose a surgical navigation system using augmented reality technology by projection. We also propose a novel medical imaging ...Augmented Reality Medical Training SystemCurrently, auscultation training in medical education is mainly used for mannequin type devices, but it has a cost problems such as expensive and large space requirement. Therefore, we propose an augm ...Computer-Aided DiagnosisAlthough the tongue changes variously, reflecting the health condition of the whole body, objective recording methods are not established. Therefore we propose a tongue imaging system named 'TIAS' whi ...Development of microwave energy devicesIn recent surgeries, not only conventional devices such as scalpels, scissors etc. but also energy devices such as electrical scalpels are used. These devices heat biological tissue to a high temperat ...Evaluations on electromagnetic energy absorption of human bodyThe electromagnetic (EM) technology is used in new portable wireless terminals and is also employed in medical field. We have developed realistic high-resolution whole-body voxel models of pregnant wo ...Development of magnetic resonance elastography and tissue-simulating viscoelastic phantomsMagnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a noninvasive imaging technique used for the quantitative measurement of biomechanical properties. To improve the quantitative precision and spatial resolution ...Assessment of shielding materials for add-on positron emission tomography prototypeWe are developing an add-on positron emission tomography (PET) system that is composed of a magnetic resonance (MR) radio frequency (RF) coil integrated with depth-of-interaction (DOI) PET detectors, ...Medical monitoring system using RFIDA battery is not mounted on the RFID tag, all electric power necessary for communication is covered by electromagnetic wave energy from the reader, so its useful life is extremely long, and it is poss ...Development of in-body wireless power transmission systemCardiac pacemakers, defibrillators, blood sugar level monitors, capsule endoscopes, and the like are used to gather biological information using a human body implantable medical device for early detec ...Research on wearable sensorsFor monitoring and in-vivo wireless power transmission, devices that are attached to the body and communicate with the outside and power transmission pads are required. For these, a flexible wearable ...Elucidation of mechanisms of obscure auditory dysfunctionIt has been known for many years that some listeners with normal hearing report difficulties in understanding speech in noisy environments. Currently, this syndrome cannot be diagnosed by conventional ...Assessment of susceptibility to noise induced hearing lossExcessive noise exposure can cause temporary hearing deterioration as well as permanent hearing damage to the cochlear, which is known as noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). It has been known for many ...Simulation based mechanical design method for surgical assisted robotIn recent year, robot technology has been required to apply the difficult surgery, but the robot can only be used in a limited number of clinical cases. This problem is caused due to difficulty of use ...Sheath-shaped surgical robot system for assisting surgical workspace creation in WaFLESMinimally invasive surgical techniques are continually being developed to reduce the invasiveness of various surgical procedures, patients’ postoperative pain, complications and hospitalization time. ...Ultrasound and near infrared fluorescence dual imaging using nano- and micrbubblesUltrasound and near infrared fluorescent dual imaging have been developed. By a combination of near infrared fluorescent with higher resolution and ultrasound with better penetration depth, we propos ...Microscopic analysis of acoustic property of tissueBy using a scanning acoustic microscopy, we analyze 3D distribution of acoustic properties of tissue, such as speed of sound, attenuation and specific acoustic impedance in microscopic level. For the ...Biomedical informatics based on ultrasonic measurementIn ultrasonic measurement, the target/region parameters of the position, structure, and physical quantity can be obtained from the wave information of the propagated ultrasound. We study to establish ...Quantitative diagnosis of liver fibrosis in diffuse liver disease Diffuse liver disease is a disease in which inflammation, necrosis, and regeneration of hepatocytes are repeated due to alcoholic hepatitis, viral hepatitis, and hepatic steatosis. This disease then c ...Non-contact bone assessment using airborne ultrasoundIn ultrasonic bone assessment, the bone quantity is estimated based on the speed of sound or frequency characteristic of attenuation in the cancellous bone. In the typical devices, the both sides of h ...Analysis of locomotive pain mechanism and related treatmentLocomotive pain derived from degenerative changes such as lumbar spondylosis, osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis are the major causes of the impaired activity of the elderly. We have been clarifying the ...Activity tracking of low back pain patientsWe have been analyzing the low back pain patients' properties in the clinical situation using a wearable activity tracker by acquiring subjective activity data in their daily life to maximize and supp ...Development of minimally invasive lumbar fusion surgeryWe are trying to make lumbar fusion surgery less invasive by targeting the surgical site using neural MRI diffusion analysis to quantify pain and refining the surgical procedure by inducing novel intr ...Development of diagnostic measures using artificial intelligence (AI)We have been developing a diagnostic system that differentiates orthopaedic pathologies such as spinal cord tumor, spinal column fracture, and spinal infection using AI to provide more accurate and a ...Development of computer-aided detection/diagnosis (CAD) softwareWith the progress of medical imaging devices such as CT and MRI, the number of images per examination increases yearly. We have developed computer-aided diagnosis/detection (CAD) software to reduce th ...CIRCUS systemThe development of CAD software involves a cycle of algorithm development, software implementation, clinical use, and refinement of the algorithm and the software based on clinical evaluation. This cy ...Neural Systems EngineeringNeurotechnologies are a set of techniques that utilize electric or magnetic signals to stimulate, monitor, or modulate neural activity. Our commitment is to advance our understanding of neural respons ...Image quality improvement and image reconstruction for micro-CTMicro X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT) is an imaging modality with significantly higher spatial resolution compared to medical CT. This modality enables nondestructively observing the internal str ...Medical image processingWe are interested in developing image processing algorithms for medical images. More specifically, in addition to the micro-CT imaging technique described above, we have been developing various techno ...Research on the Pathophysiology of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)EoE is a disease that causes symptoms like chest tightness due to allergic reactions, and has been increased in recent years. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are used as the first-line treatment, but ab ...Analysis of Histopathological Images Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)Although pathological tissue imaging has become widely used with the advent of virtual slide scanners, the accumulation of knowledge in pathology is vast, and there is still no analytical method that ...
