AI X-ray analysis detects Covid-19 more reliably

A team of researchers at Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Research at the University of Bern has developed a new chest radiography image analysis for the detection of COVID-19. The researchers compared this artificial intelligence (AI) with standard, diagnostic annotation by radiologists. Especially for distinguishing COVID-19 from non-COVID-19 lung disease, AI provided significantly more reliable results.

Research AIHN – AI in Health and Nutrition Artificial Intelligence

11. December 2020

RetinAI to collaborate with Novartis

The ARTORG spin-off RetinAI Medical AG has announced a multi-year collaboration with Novartis Pharma AG employing its IT solutions and artificial intelligence tools to support multiple projects in ophthalmology and digital health. The first project will be a multi-center international clinical study to assess disease activity in more than 500 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Media AIMI – AI in Medical Imaging Artificial Intelligence

08. December 2020

PhD thesis defense Alain Jungo

The ARTORG Center congratulates Alain Jungo for his successful PhD thesis defense on 3 December 2020 under the title “Applications and Insights of Uncertainty Estimates in Automated Brain Tumor Segmentation“. The member of the Medical Imaging Analysis (MIA) lab has investigated whether uncertainty estimations can improve the robustness of deep learning algorithms used for brain tumor characterizations before and after treatment.

People MIA – Medical Image Analysis Artificial Intelligence

07. December 2020

Bern Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

The University of Bern and the Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, are founding a “Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine” (CAIM) that combines cutting-edge research, engineering and digitalization. Using artificial intelligence it will develop new medical technologies to enable tailor-made and efficient patient care. Partners of the new center are sitem-insel, the Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, and the University Psychiatry Services (UPD).

Media AIHN – AI in Health and Nutrition AIMI – AI in Medical Imaging MIA – Medical Image Analysis Artificial Intelligence

17. November 2020

RMS Master Award 2020 for Michel Hayoz

Michel Hayoz, recent graduate from the Bern Biomedical Engineering master’s program and Computer Scientist at the ARTORG AI in Medical Imaging lab, has won this year's RMS Award for the best master degree 2020. For his thesis Stereo-Endoscope to CT Image Data Registration for Liver Surgery he proposed a non-rigid registration method for image-guided laparoscopic liver surgery to reconstruct an intra-operative liver model from a stereoscopic video stream frame by frame.

Grants & Awards AIMI – AI in Medical Imaging Artificial Intelligence

16. November 2020

Haptic rendering in robotic rehabilitation

In robot-assisted neurorehabilitation somatosensory information is crucial to provoke brain plasticity. Yet, only few robotic rehabilitation devices currently offer this feature. The ARTORG Motor Learning and Neurorehabilitation lab has now published a study, suggesting that haptic rendering, together with arm weight support, can potentially enhance neurorehabilitation and motor skill re-acquisition.

Research MLN – Motor Learning & Neurorehabilitation (former) Rehabilitation & Neural Engineering Robotics

13. November 2020

Patient-specific tumor growth model

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive type of brain cancer associated with dismal prognosis. Tumor growth often causes compression to the surrounding tissue and induces mechanical stress, increasing the intra cranial pressure and impairing neurological function. Daniel Abler, Marie Skłodowska-Curie research fellow and member of the ARTORG Computational Bioengineering lab, has now developed a computational approach to study the role of the biomechanical forces generated by GBM growth, together with scientists from the Beckman Research Institute, USA, for the Horizon2020 GlimS project.

Research CBE – Computational Bioengineering Biomechanics

06. November 2020

Droplet formation during ORL surgery

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about the safety of healthcare staff. To evaluate the risk droplets may pose during ear surgery, the Hearing Research Lab of the Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and the ARTORG Center, University of Bern, has now compared droplet emission in three different surgical approaches to ORL interventions: endoscopic and microscopic epitympanectomies as well as mastoidectomy. The results of this quantitative risk assessment for otologic surgery could help protect healthcare staff when operating on COVID-19 positive patients.

Research HRL – Hearing Research Laboratory Surgical Technologies

05. November 2020

Corneal biomechanics after ring implantation

Intrastromal rings can be introduced into the corneal stroma to correct high refractive errors such as severe myopia or keratoconus. In collaboration with the Aragón Institute for Engineering Research in Zaragoza, Spain, the ARTORG Computational Bioengineering group has investigated corneal biomechanics after intrastromal ring implantation. Their numerical study found that implants do not stiffen the cornea but create a local bulkening effect that regularizes the corneal shape.

Research CBE – Computational Bioengineering Biomechanics

02. November 2020

Neurocognitive correlates of neurorehabilitation at ICNR2020

The Motor Learning and Neurorehabilitation lab organized a special session at the International Conference in Neurorehabilitation, held virtually on 16th October 2020. Motor learning is a complex cognitive and motor process underlying neurorehabilitation, in which practice leads to permanent changes in motor performance. Yet, few motor neurorehabilitation paradigms currently account for cognitive factors (for example, attention). Stakeholders from industry, clinics, and academy discussed how these neurocognitive factors could be integrated into current rehabilitation programs to personalize therapy.

Research MLN – Motor Learning & Neurorehabilitation (former) Rehabilitation & Neural Engineering Robotics

21. October 2020

Single-View Dietary Assessment

Current computer vision approaches for food volume estimation require the input of multiple food images or additional information. The ARTORG Center lab for Artificial Intelligence in Health and Nutrition (AIHN) has developed a network architecture that only needs a single RGB food image to estimate food volumes and calculate nutrient information accordingly. The new approach to be presented at the 25th International Conference on Pattern Recognition in Milan, Italy, in January 2021 is the first to enable a full-pipeline single view dietary assessment.