Translational X-ray Imaging

clinical grating-interferometry mammography system

Bellona – first X-ray System for clinical phase-contrast mammography

This project consists of the development of a grating-based phase contrast mammography prototype for the in-vivo investigation of breast cancer. Clinically, we aim at improving the diagnostic power of mammography by exploiting the additional information provided by differential phase and dark-field signals.

Reconstructed slice of X-ray phase contrast microtomography from a human breast biopsy tissue, suspected of being affected by tumour development.

Improved Pathology with phase-contrast X-ray micro-tomography

In this project, we aim to investigate and promote the use of X-ray phase contrast microtomography as a complementary method for histopathological techniques. Exploiting the higher sensitivity of X-ray phase contrast is particularly suited for biological soft tissues, for which ordinary X-ray absorption does not provide enough image contrast.

Grating-Interferometry-based Breast Computed Tomography (GI-BCT)

We are developing a large-field-of-view grating-based CT system, with parameters suitable for a clinical dedicated breast imaging. The design is a compact gantry rotating around a breast of a patient lying on a bed directly above it. We aim to prove the diagnostic value of phase contrast in breast cancer diagnostics. We collaborate with GratXray, a spin-off with roots in the group, on bringing the technology to clinics.

Data-driven models for inverse problems in GI-BCT

This project focuses on the development of data processing and reconstruction pipelines to generate high quality reconstructions from sparse and highly noisy data obtained with the scanning protocols foreseen for first clinical tests. In particular, given the challenging imaging conditions, this project attempts to achieve this goal by developing customized data-driven deep learning algorithms to tackle the challenging ill-posed inverse problems that arise in grating interferometry breast computed tomography.

X-ray scattering tensor tomography with circular gratings

X-ray scattering tensor tomography with unprecedented speed

X-ray scattering imaging can give access to microstructural information for features well below the setup resolution, in a large field of view, making this technique very interesting for the investigation of new materials. The objective of this study is to extend 2D omni-directional X-ray scattering imaging to 3D without need for a priori knowledge on the scatterer shape and/or space organization.

X-ray dual phase grating interferometer for quantitative dark-field imaging of fuel cell catalyst

Catalyst layer is the smallest and the most critical component of a fuel cell. Understanding of the liquid water behavior in catalyst layers of PEFC bears a great potential for further improvement. In this work, X ray dark field imaging based on dual phase grating interferometry is used to access unresolvable structural information in such materials, which is otherwise inaccessible to conventional absorption-based full field imaging.

Sketch of a dual phase grating interferometer.

X-ray dual phase grating interferometry for the microstructural characterization of mineral- and wood-based building materials

The main goal of this project is to design and implement a lab-based dual-phase grating interferometer (DP-XGI) for a multi-scale characterization of mineral building materials (MBM) and wood-based materials (WBM). Taking advantage of the tunability of the dark-field signal, we pursue to analyze the scattering objects with features in a range of hundreds of nano-meters, which is well beyond the intrinsic system resolution.

Monte Carlo simulation of X-ray grating interferometry systems

Based on quantum mechanics a new GI Monte Carlo simulation framework for GI setups is developed in this work, with the aim to simulate scattering and interference phenomena within one framework. After a proof of principle on smaller scales with flat gratings, the algorithm will be extended for the simulation of clinically relevant volumes and extended to bent gratings.

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