Plenary speakers

Prof. George W Irwin, FREng, MRIA, FIEEE Queen's University Belfast, UK

http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/ISAC/
Prof. Cheng Wu, Tsinghua University, China, Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Former National Chief Scientist on Automation Technology

http://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/eng/board9/detail.jsp?seq=1107&boardid=3302

Prof. Tong Heng Lee, The National University of Singapore, Singapore

http://www.eng.nus.edu.sg/deanleeth/

Dr. Gordon J. Harris, Director of 3D Imaging Service and Radiology Computer Aided Diagnostics Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital

http://www2.massgeneral.org/radiology/index.asp?page=staff&subpage=harris

Prof. John V McCanny, UK

http://www.ecit.qub.ac.uk/Aboutus/BusinessCard/index.html?name=j.mccanny

Prof. Er-Wei Bai, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA

http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/faculty-staff/profile-directory/ece/bai_e.php

Professor Tom Heskes, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherland

http://www.cs.ru.nl/~tomh/
Professor Shuzhi Sam Ge, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the National University of Singapore

http://robotics.nus.edu.sg/sge/

keynote speech

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Prof George W Irwin

Intelligent Systems and Control

School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Queen's University Belfast UK

Professor George Irwin leads the Intelligent Systems and Control Research group and is Director of the University Virtual Engineering Centre at Queen University Belfast. He has been elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Member of the Royal Irish Academy and is a Chartered Engineer, an IEEE Fellow, a Fellow of the IEE and a Fellow of the Institute of Measurement and Control. Prof Irwin's research covers identification, monitoring, and control, including neural networks, fuzzy neural systems and multivariate statistics and has published over 350 research papers and 12 edited books. He is currently working on wireless networked control systems, fault diagnosis of internal combustion engines and novel techniques for fast temperature measurement and was Technical Director of Anex6 Ltd, a spin out company from his group specialising in process monitoring. He has been awarded a number of prizes including four IEE Premiums, a Best Paper award from the Czech Academy of Sciences and the 2002 Honeywell International Medal from the Institute of Measurement and Control. International recognitions include Honorary Professor at Harbin Institute of Technology and Shandong University, and Visiting Professor at Shanghai University. George Irwin is a former Editor-in-Chief of the IFAC Journal Control Engineering Practice and past chair of the UK Automatic Control Council. He currently chairs the IFAC Publications Committee and serves on the editorial boards of several journals.

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Prof. Cheng Wu

Tsinghua University, China, Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Former National Chief Scientist on Automation Technology

Academic Posts
Professor, Department of Automation, Tsinghua University
Member, Chinese Academy of Engineering
Director, China National Engineering Research Center for Contemporary Integrated Manufacturing Systems
Member, Advisory Board of IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering
Member, Editorial Board of International Journal of Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing
Member, Editorial Board of International Journal of Industrial and Management Optimization
Research Interests
System Integration
Modeling, Planning, Scheduling and Optimization of Complex Industrial Systems
Professional Experiences
1967- Teaching Assistant, lecturer, associate professor, professor, Tsinghua University,Beijing
Education
1962, Bachelor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University
1966, Master, Department of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University
Awards & Honors
1991, 1996, 2001, First Prize of 863 National Scheme
1999, Second Prize of Science & Technology Progress Award, Ministry of Education
1997, Award of National Outstanding Teacher
1994, Science & Technology Progress Prize, Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation
1994, "University LEAD Award" for CIM excellence by the SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineering) of USA for his achievements on CIMS research and applications

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Inventing and Developing an Automated Haematopoietic Stem Cells Harvesting Machine; and other Recent Advances in Intelligent Precision Modeling, Simulation & Control for Life Sciences Developments

T.H.Lee, B.A. (Hons I) Cambridge; M.Engrg NUS; Ph.D. Yale

Professor & Cluster Head (Control Systems)

Professor in the Graduate School, NUS NGS

Dept of ECE, NUS

Dy Editor-in-Chief, IFAC Mechatronics Int Jnl

E-mail: ELELEETH@nus.edu.sg

Abstract

The human placenta and umbilical cord blood (UCB) provide a rich source of highly-proliferative haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for many clinical uses with advantages over traditional sources like the bone marrow and periphery blood. However, the current constraint with this source of HSCs is the inadequate number of HSCs cells which can be harvested in a single collection using current approaches which render a large number of collections unusable on their own, even for paediatric patients. The large reservoir of useful HSCs within the placenta has to be discarded upon the delivery of the placenta out of the maternal body. A novel design, involving mechanical, electronics and control components, seeks to create an artificial uterus force to harvest the HSCs. This paper will present the development of this automated device to enable more effective harvesting of HSCs from placentas, upon the discharge of placentas after deliveries. Comprehensive results, in terms of mononucleated cells (MNCs) count and CD34+ cells count, will be furnished to verify the effectiveness of the developed system, over the other current approaches. (Note: This invention was a winner of the IEEE ICMA 2009 Best Paper in Automation Award. It is patented in U.S.A., Europe, Japan and Singapore. A company, Dynamed Hi-Tech Medical Instruments, has licensed it and will market it in 2010.)

Additionally, the paper will also present recent advances in Intelligent Precision Modeling, Simulation & Control for Life Sciences developments; including recent research and development work in developing portable precision Tissue Micro-Arrayers for Tissue Repositories.

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Prof. Tong Heng Lee

 The National University of Singapore, Singapore

T. H. Lee received the B.A. degree with First Class Honours in the Engineering Tripos from Cambridge University, England, in 1980; and the Ph.D. degree from Yale University in 1987. He is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS); and also a Professor in the NUS Graduate School, NUS NGS. He was a Past Vice-President (Research) of NUS.

Dr. Lee's research interests are in the areas of adaptive systems, knowledge-based control, intelligent mechatronics and computational intelligence. He currently holds Associate Editor appointments in the IEEE Transactions in Systems, Man and Cybernetics; IEEE Transactions in Industrial Electronics; Control Engineering Practice (an IFAC journal); and the International Journal of Systems Science (Taylor and Francis, London). In addition, he is the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of IFAC Mechatronics journal.

Dr. Lee was a recipient of the Cambridge University Charles Baker Prize in Engineering; the 2004 ASCC (Melbourne) Best Industrial Control Application Paper Prize; the 2009 IEEE ICMA Best Paper in Automation Prize; and the 2009 ASCC Best Application Paper Prize. He has also co-authored five research monographs (books), and holds four patents (two of which are in the technology area of adaptive systems, and the other two are in the area of intelligent mechatronics). He has published more than 300 international journal papers.

Dr. Lee was an Invited Panelist at the World Automation Congress, WAC2000 Maui U.S.A.; an Invited Keynote Speaker for IEEE International Symposium on Intelligent Control, IEEE ISIC 2003 Houston U.S.A.; an Invited Keynote Speaker for LSMS 2007, Shanghai China; an Invited Expert Panelist for IEEE AIM2009; and an Invited Plenary Speaker for IASTED RTA 2009.

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The 3D Imaging Service at Massachusetts General Hospital: 11 Years Experience

Dr. Gordon J. Harris
Director, 3D Imaging Service, and Radiology Computer Aided Diagnostics Laboratory (RAD CADx LAB), Massachusetts General Hospital
Associate Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School.

Abstract

In 1999, we set out to create a radiology three-dimensional (3D) imaging service at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Our goal was two-fold: first, to integrate 3D image post-processing capabilities, computer-aided diagnosis (CAD), and quantitative analysis into the routine clinical workflow; and to create an infrastructure generally more conducive to the transfer of new image-processing technologies from the research realm into clinical use. Initially, we found that although our institution possessed several 3D imaging workstations, they were used only occasionally for research purposes and, when a clinical request for 3D post-processing was made, the staff lacked the expertise and experience to fulfill those requests.
Three-dimensional image processing begins with a stack of 2-dimensional images, assembles them into a 3-D volume, and then manipulates them in a variety of ways. There are numerous techniques for image manipulation that can be performed at a 3D workstation, including maximum intensity projection (MIP), volume rendering (VR), endoluminal views, segmentation, and functional imaging; however, the challenge is selecting the technique that provides the most clinical value. To that end, the staff of our 3D Imaging Service has undergone extensive training. In addition, together with radiologists and referring physicians, our staff has crafted 3D protocols with standard views for each imaging modality (magnetic resonance [MR], computed tomography [CT], ultrasound [US]) and clinical application, which have been selected in order to provide reliable consistency and optimal clinical value, both important features for any clinical service.
Selection of an appropriate 3D image analysis technique often depends on the perspective of the physician: for diagnosis, radiologists may prefer a technique such as MIP in which all of the information is present and none has been removed by the computer, whereas a surgeon may prefer a more anatomically realistic view for surgical planning, such as a VR image in which some of the information has been segmented out (Figure 1). For applications such as vascular imaging, it is not uncommon to pair more than one technique: for example, VR to assess the geometry of any vascular lesions together with curved multiplanar reformatting (MPR) to assess for stenoses or occlusions (Figure 2).
For diagnostic vascular imaging, 3D image analysis has allowed us to almost completely replace the more expensive and invasive catheter angiogram with CT angiography (CTA) or MR angiography (MRA). Moreover, with CTA and MRA, it is possible to view not only the vessels, but also the surrounding parenchyma and other nearby structures. One example of the benefit of 3D vascular imaging is in evaluation of living renal donors, where the transplant surgeon requires a complete picture of the number and geometry of the renal arteries, veins, and ureters of the donor. For this application, we have been able to replace two more expensive and invasive exams, catheter angiography (involving anesthesia and higher risk of complications) plus intravenous pyelography (IVP), with a single outpatient CT exam involving CTA plus delayed-phase CT urography. The healthy donor is spared from expensive, invasive procedures and, instead, receives a simple, outpatient, contrast-enhanced multiphasic CT scan capable of gathering all of the necessary information with minimal risk.
Computer-aided segmentations are used to disarticulate structures within an image, which can greatly assist in pre-surgical planning, as in the case of the repair of complex fractures (Figure 3). Segmentation can also facilitate the assessment of vessels; for example, in cardiac imaging, segmenting out some of the adjacent structures can provide a clear view of the vessels from their origin to the apex. Segmentation can also be useful for accurate determination of brain tumor volumes, particularly in the case of irregularly shaped tumors where a linear measure provides insufficient information. Another use of quantitative segmentation is in the accurate determination of the volume of a donor liver to determine if it is large enough to supply both the donor and the recipient. Previously, this determination was based on a fairly rough estimation; however, it is now possible to more precisely determine the volume of the liver and perform a virtual resection, potentially increasing the success rate of liver transplantation. Moreover, this technique has been automated and can now be performed in less than 10 minutes.
In the 3D Imaging Service, we also perform functional imaging using CT and MR perfusion, and functional MRI (fMRI). CT perfusion can be used to assess patients for stroke by measuring various hemodynamic parameters: for example, an increased mean transit time and decreased cerebral blood flow indicate the presence of an infarcted area. Functional MRI plays a role in neurosurgical planning, helping the surgeons to determine the proximity of the surgical target to critical sensory, motor, and language areas. The use of fMRI in this way can reduce the amount of time the surgeon spends doing intraoperative cortical mapping.
At MGH, our full-time 3D Imaging Service is now capable of performing 3D imaging upon request with rapid turnaround time. We are fully integrated with the hospital's picture archiving and communications systems, billing, and information systems. Our volume has continued to grow each year: When we started in February 1999, we performed an average of two exams per day, and now we perform approximately 120 exams per day, or 2,500 per month. Our clinical staff is currently comprised of approximately 13 individuals, including 3-D technologists, image analysts, operations and technical managers, and billing coordinators, and we utilize a wide variety of different types of workstations from many different vendors for different applications. We primarily perform CTA and MRA, nonvascular CT and MR exams, and 3D US, with approximately half being neuro-based and the remainder being vascular, as well as other applications. We currently process approximately 10% of the CT examinations and 20% of the MRI examinations at MGH.
In summary, 3D image analysis provides more comprehensive and realistic patient evaluation. Quantitative analysis with CAD can provide more accurate, reliable assessment, staging, and treatment planning, ultimately improving patient care, increasing clinical confidence, and reducing the time, cost, and invasiveness of procedures. We recognize that the level of commitment of resources needed to develop an in-house 3D imaging service may not be practical for all imaging centers; therefore, through improvements in networking and communications, we are hoping to expand our CAD and 3D services to help support the needs of many hospitals and imaging centers.

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Dr. Gordon J. Harris
Director, 3D Imaging Service, and Radiology Computer Aided Diagnostics Laboratory (RAD CADx LAB), Massachusetts General Hospital
Associate Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Harris is Director of the 3D Imaging Service, and the Radiology Computer Aided Diagnostics Laboratory (RAD CADx LAB) at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Tumor Imaging Metrics Core of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, and Associate Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Harris received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Radiation Health Sciences and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Lafayette College. After graduate school, Dr. Harris spent one post-doctoral year and two years as junior faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. After four subsequent years as Director of the Neuroimaging Research Laboratory at New England Medical Center, Dr. Harris joined the faculty at MGH in 1997 and began a new 3D Imaging Service for clinically-oriented imaging. His primary research interests include structural and functional brain imaging research in psychiatric and neurologic illnesses including stroke and alcoholism, as well as quantitative tracking of tumors for clinical care and clinical trials. Dr. Harris has published and lectured extensively on medical imaging.