The NIH/NIGMS
Center for Integrative Biomedical Computing

CIBC Research Highlights

Feb 25, 2019

SCI Head Model Now Available

The SCI Institute is excited to announce the release of the SCI Institute's female head and brain model data repository and pipeline. The dataset and corresponding publication can be found here. Read more

Sep 12, 2018

3D Virtual Simulation Gets to the ‘Heart’ of Irregular Heartbeats

Researchers have successfully performed 3D personalized virtual simulations of the heart A 3-D virtual heart. Credit: Johns Hopkins University Read more

Mar 05, 2018

Machine learning could improve how doctors diagnose heart attacks

Wilson Good, Brian ZengerArticle originally appears in VenturebeatYou're working in your house, going about your normal routine when suddenly the pain hits. Your chest starts to throb and your left arm begins to ache. Without hesitation, you rush to the hospital, dreading your worst fear has become a reality — you are having a heart attack. Upon arrival, physicians, nurses, and other medical staff begin frantically… Read more

Aug 21, 2017

A Calming Effect

For many who suffer from debilitating neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, the constant muscular tremors are an unbearable symptom. Just drinking from a cup can be an overwhelming challenge.When medication doesn’t work, brain surgery to destroy certain cells can be risky, and the results are irreversible. But there has been an emerging third option — deep brain stimulation (DBS), a therapy in which… Read more

Apr 18, 2017

2016 Image-Based Biomedical Modeling (IBBM) summer course

The Image-Based Biomedical Modeling (IBBM) summer course was held for the third time in 2016, from July 11-21, 2016 in Newpark Resort, Park City (Utah). The two-week course format included the following activities: Didactic lecture sessions given by the three PIs (Rob MacLeod, Ross Whitaker and Jeff Weiss) as well as three invited instructors (Miriah Meyer, Steve Maas and Gerard Ateshian) experts in their fields… Read more

Jul 11, 2016

Introduction to Image-Based Modeling

Sponsored by the R. Harold Burton Foundation Over the course of four weeks, students from West High School and Skyline High School and a homeschooled junior year student were given an introduction to image-based modeling (IBM) as part of the SCI Institute Summer Internship. This course, which is given to undergraduate students during the academic year, was customized to fit the high school students' level. The goal… Read more

Jan 12, 2016

Image Analysis Tools for Understanding Connective Tissue Structure

Sponsored by the Burton Foundation This summer, two Salt Lake area high school students from Copper Hills High School came to the University of Utah to participate in a hands-on research experience. The students learned how image analysis tools help biomechanics researchers understand the effects of structural features of musculoskeletal tissues (e.g. tendons, ligaments, and articular cartilage) on the functional… Read more

Sep 03, 2015

2015 Image-Based Biomedical Modeling (IBBM) summer course

The Image-Based Biomedical Modeling (IBBM) summer course was held July 13- 23 in Newpark, Park City (Utah).The two-week course included the following activities: Didactic lecture sessions given by the three PIs as well as four invited instructors and experts in their fields . Laboratory exercises led by a group of 10 teaching assistants and developers. Discussion session time for student-instructor interaction. A… Read more

Aug 20, 2014

2014 Summer Course on Image-based Biomedical Modeling (IBBM)

The Image-Based Biomedical Modeling (IBBM) summer course was held from July 14 to July 24 in the Newpark Hotel, Park City, Utah. The two-week summer course hosted 39 participants this year: 31 graduate students, 1 MD/PhD student, 2 postdoctoral fellows, 3 junior faculty, and 2 developers from a research laboratory / industry. Participants came from 24 institutions, including 4 from universities in Belgium and… Read more

Jul 29, 2014

Neuro Stimulation

There has been a recent explosion of interest in the use of noninvasive transcranial brain stimulation (or "neurostimulation"), both in clinical settings and as a research tool. One of the two main ways to stimulate the brain transcranially is to run a current to the brain through the magnetic fields generated by a coil that is held near the scalp. This approach has been approved by the FDA for treating depression.… Read more

Jul 29, 2014

SCIRun 5 Development

SCIRun is the integrated programming environment that has been a core technology of the CIBC since its inception and each major version release is an enormous undertaking. The program now contains hundreds of thousands of lines of C++ code and a new release requires at least a review of all this code, with replacement or updating of larger portions of it. We are nearing the first release of such a major new version,… Read more

Jul 29, 2014

Mesh Generation and Cleaver

Figure 1: 3D surface mesh of a face. Partial differential equations (PDEs) are ubiquitous in engineering applications. They mathematically model natural phenomena such as heat conduction, diffusion, and shock wave propagation. They also describe many bioelectrical and biomechanical functions and are a central element of the simulation research of the Center. Analytical solutions for most PDEs are known only for… Read more

Dec 19, 2013

Neural Bioelectricity with EGI

In collaboration with Dr. Don Tucker and his colleagues at Electrical Geodesics Inc (EGI) and the University of Oregon, this DBP is concerned with improving our ability to reconstruct and visualize neuroelectric sources (source localization) from EEG measurements and also our ability to stimulate specific brain regions using electrodes attached on to the scalp of the subject (transcranial direct current stimulation,… Read more

Dec 18, 2013

Cam Femoroacetabular Impingement Analysis using Statistical Shape Modeling

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is caused by reduced clearance between the femoral head and acetabulum due to anatomic abnormalities of the femur (cam FAI), acetabulum (pincer FAI), or both (mixed FAI). Cam FAI is characterized by an aspherical femoral head or reduced femoral head-neck offset. During hip flexion, the abnormally shaped femur may cause shearing at the chondrolabral junction, thereby damaging… Read more

Dec 17, 2013

MRI Image Quantification Analysis for Atrial Fibrillation

Corview screenshot Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiac rhythm disturbance in which the atria, the upper chambers of the heart, undergo uncontrolled and uncoordinated electrical activation so that contraction of the atria contributes almost nothing to cardiac output. While not immediately atal (as is ventricular fibrillation) AF dramatically increases the risk of stroke, elevates mortality, and diminishes quality… Read more

Dec 16, 2013

Deep Brain Stimulation Planning with ImageVis3D

Overview of the DBS system. The DBS electrode is implanted in the brain during stereotactic surgery. The electrode is attached via an extension wire to the IPG, which is implanted in the torso. The entire system is subcutaneous and is designed to deliver continuous stimulation for several years at a time. In recent years, there has been significant growth in the use of patient-specific models to predict the effects… Read more

Dec 16, 2013

New Strategies in Biomedical Mesh Generation

A cross-section of a 3-dimensional, tetrahedral mesh of a torso. Each separate organ type is shown using a different color. This year, an essential goal has been to enhance the generalized image-processing pipeline of software developed by CIBC and its partners. With the growing use of high quality medical imaging, practitioners around the globe are employing these acquired datasets for performing biomedical… Read more

Dec 16, 2013

Software Dissemination at the CIBC

For years, a central focus of the Center for Integrative Biomedical Computing has been software dissemination. Over the Center's twelve-year history, the infrastructure of CIBC's software dissemination efforts have undergone a radical evolution, with many lessons learned for both users and developers. Software Dissemination as a Form of Science and Technology Dissemination The SCIRun/BioPSE Problem-Solving… Read more

Oct 29, 2013

Today's Tools - Tomorrow's Scientists: An ImageVis3D Project

The SCI Institute holds a strong belief that providing research opportunities to undergraduate and even high school students will not only encourage them to pursue studies in the sciences, but also give them a head start in their future academic lives. Being allowed to work side by side with PhD-level scientists within a real research institute moves science from something that happens in a text book or highly… Read more

May 21, 2012

Meshing for Multimaterial Biological Volumes: BioMesh3D

Figure from R.S. MacLeod, et al., Subjectspecific, multiscale simulation of electrophysiology: a software pipeline for image-based models and application examples. Example A particle system provides adaptive sampling the various material boundaries of a segmented CT volume from a human torso. Over the past year the CIBC, in partnership with our collaborators, has begun to introduce a generalized image-processing… Read more

May 21, 2012

Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an electrophysiological condition that represents an increasing problem in the aging populations of the world; AF doubles the risk of stroke and mortality and diminishes quality of life. The best current method to evaluate the progression of AF and monitor the success of interventions is via an invasive intra-cardiac catheter-based electrical mapping procedure. A noninvasive means to… Read more

May 21, 2012

Uncertainty Visualization

An Isosurface visualization of a magnetic resonance imaging data set (in orange) surrounded by a volume rendered region of low opacity (in green) to indicate uncertainty in surface position. The estimation and visualization of uncertainty information is an important research problem in both simulation and visualization. Uncertainty is a term used to describe the error, confidence, and variation of a dataset in order… Read more

Dec 10, 2010

Imaging Meets Electrophysiology

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common—and perhaps most insidious—form of heart rhythm disturbance and treating it has become the focus of a group of bioengineers, imaging physicists, and physicians at the University of Utah.In atrial fibrillation, the upper two chambers (the left and right atria) of the heart lose their synchronization and beat erratically and inefficiently. The same condition in the lower… Read more

Jul 27, 2010

Visualization

Figure from T. Fogal and J. Krüger, a Clearview rendering of the visible human male dataset Attempting to display the entirety of a large volumetric dataset at one time would result in an overwhelming amount of information. Furthermore, visualization tools based on volume rendering present the user with a host of confusing options. We present ClearView, which provides a simplified volume visualization tool with a… Read more

Jul 26, 2010

Simulation of Electric Stimulation for Bone Growth

Figure from B.M. Issacson, et al., A unilateral hierarchical model was assembled as a representative image consisting of skin (purple) adipose tissue (yellow), musculature (pink), bone (blue), bone marrow (orange), and internal organs (green) (a). Each tissue type was assigned a specific conductivity using SCIRun. A large serpentine-like mass of HO was identified in the medial aspect of the residual limb, and was… Read more

Jul 26, 2010

Subject Specific, Multiscale Simulation of Electrophysiology

A "typical" workflow that applies to many problems in biomedical simulation contains the following elements: (i) Image acquisition and processing for a tissue, organ or region of interest (imaging and image processing), (ii) Identification of structures, tissues, cells or organelles within the images(image processing and segmentation), (iii) Fitting of geometric surfaces to the boundaries between structures and… Read more

Sep 10, 2007

Developing the Next Generation Tools for Preoperative Planning for Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators

BioPSE visualizing the electrical field generated by an ICD device. One of the exciting projects in which the SCI Institute is collaborating is the development of new tools and techniques to assist doctors optimize the placement of Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators (ICDs) prior to surgery.The use of ICDs has greatly increased over the last few years due to their efficacy in preventing sudden cardiac death (SCD) in… Read more

May 04, 2006

Embryos Exposed in 3-D

New Method Can Identify What Genes Do, Test Drugs' Safety May 4, 2006 -- Utah and Texas researchers combined miniature medical CT scans with high-tech computer methods to produce detailed three-dimensional images of mouse embryos – an efficient new method to test the safety of medicines and learn how mutant genes cause birth defects or cancer. "Our method provides a fast, high-quality and inexpensive way to visually… Read more

May 05, 2005

Top Scientific Visualization Research Problems

Scientific visualization as currently understood and practiced is still a relatively new discipline. As a result, we visualization researchers are not necessarily accustomed to undertaking the sorts of self-examinations that other scientists routinely undergo in relation to their work. Yet if we are to create a disciplinary culture focused on matters of real scientific importance and committed to real progress, it… Read more

Jun 09, 2004

Visualization of Anatomic Covariance Tensor Fields

Gordon L. Kindlmann, David M. Weinstein, Agatha D. Lee, Arthur W. Toga, Paul M. Thompson The computation, visualization, and interpretation of brain variability remains a significant challenge in computational neuroanatomy. Current deformable registration methods can generate, for each vertex of a polygonal mesh modeling the cortical surface, a distribution of displacement vectors between the individual models and… Read more

Jan 10, 2004

BioTensor: Visualizing Diffusion Tensor MRI

Diffusion tensor MRI visualization is a growing field of research. The scanners are collecting better data all the time, and doctors and scientists are constantly discovering new applications for this data. However, unlike scalar and vector data, high-dimensional tensors are not always intuitive to visualize. When devising new strategies for DT-MRI visualization, it is important to understand both what exactly it is… Read more

Jan 08, 2004

Scientific Visualization in Small Animal Imaging

Gordon Kindlmann, Richard A. Normann, Arun Badi, Charles Keller, Greg M. Jones, Christopher R. Johnson Biomedical applications of small animal imaging are creating exciting opportunities to extend the scientific impact of visualization research. Specifically, the effective pairing of non-linear image filtering and direct volume rendering is one strategy for scientists to quickly explore and understand the volumetric… Read more

Mar 29, 2001

SCIRun/BioPSE: Problem Solving Environments for the Next Generation of Scientific Computing

In March of 2001, the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute reached a milestone with the long anticipated release of both SCIRun 1.0.0and BioPSE 1.0.0. "I am excited about the SCIRun and BioPSE software releases," says the Institute's director Christopher R. Johnson. "We have been working on SCIRun since 1992. What started out as software designed by a few people (Steve Parker with help from David Weinstein)… Read more

Jan 10, 2001

The Mathematics Behind Imaging

By Oleg Portniaguine. An interesting, but very challenging kind of imaging is to visualize the interior of a non-transparent object (such as a human body) using physical fields measured outside the body. This imaging is achieved through a mathematical engine known as "inverse problems solving" or "statistical optimization", one of the key research directions at the SCI Institute. Another research direction being… Read more

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