Institute News

Artificial intelligence and computer-aided support for diagnosis and therapy in digital medicine—these are the topics Fraunhofer MEVIS is presenting at the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) Medical Imaging conference, which is held in San Diego, California, from February 18 to 22. This year, the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS is again well represented at the renowned conference with numerous scientific and educational contributions.

Conclusion of an innovative art, science, and technology collaboration on the human body by the artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast and Fraunhofer MEVIS.

Prof. Dr. med. Fabian Kiessling has been recognized by Clarivate as a Highly Cited Researcher 2023 in the Pharmacology and Toxicology category. This is the fifth consecutive year he has been on the Highly Cited Researcher list, having already been recognized in the same category in 2022 and 2021 as well as in the Cross-Field category in 2019 and 2020.

At this year’s annual RSNA meeting (Radiological Society of North America) in Chicago, Fraunhofer MEVIS presents, among others, the following promising innovations for AI-supported medicine: SATORI which helps to conduct multicenter studies and OncoChange which supports the follow-up of tumor treatments.

Great hopes, but also weighty concerns: Currently, there is a lively debate about algorithms that can learn, especially in medicine where AI systems are supposed to help detect diseases and identify optimal future therapies. This raises important questions: How do the algorithms arrive at their results and how can they be verified? Who develops these new technologies that affect the health of so many diverse people? And who creates the stories and images that represent the new digital solutions in medicine? The Scottish-based creator Fiona Smith is exploring this field of tension with an elaborate art project that she will develop as part of the STEAM Imaging V residency program. Her idea: In her interactive installation “The Box”, the audience will feed an AI with data and then be able to observe how the machine reacts in an audio-visual display.

Whose Scalpel 2.0 is an audio-visual art performance that explores the intersection of technology and sensory perception. In this piece, the artist's cardiac MRI data are presented through technological devices, highlighting the progression of medicine and its cultural implications. During the live performance, the artist lets real time heart rate data from the artist, a dancer, and the audience influence the presentation and experience of images and sounds. This sensor-based interactive design fosters a multilayered perception of the body, prompting contemplation on body concepts and technology's role in our lives.

School students, their friends, mothers, and scientists exchange ideas on breast health. On the occasion of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the BREAST HEALTH AWARENESS workshop took place at the Institute on 9 October – an event by women for women with scientists, pupils from the partner school Schulzentrum Walle, their friends, mothers, and teachers.

In an engaging lecture by the cardio expert and professor Gerhard Hindricks on August 30th, approximately 70 attendees simultaneously gained insights into pioneering approaches in cardiac medicine and into the possible routs toward securing healthcare in remote or underserved regions. Because those who deal with cardiovascular diseases cannot avoid taking a global epidemiological perspective: Diseases of the heart and vessels are the leading cause of death globally and affect various geographical locations, age groups, and socioeconomic structures.

On Friday, August 25, a Disability Awareness Workshop took place at Fraunhofer MEVIS in Bremen. The half-day workshop was designed and led by a dedicated team from Inklupreneur, a Berlin and Bremen based initiative whose mission is to promote inclusion in the workplace and to actively support companies in doing so.

Since earlier this year, research scientists of Fraunhofer MEVIS are engaged in the four-year project AEGEUS (A Novel EEG Ultrasound Device for Functional Brain Imaging and Neurostimulation) alongside with several other European partners. The goal of AEGEUS is to develop and manufacture a radically new prototype headset that combines transcranial ultrasound imaging with electroencephalography.