My main
research interest is in developing computerized image analysis for medical
applications. I have been working in that field since my Master Thesis work in 1973-74.
That work was dealing with Analysis of cell images using video and computer
technology. My doctoral thesis in 1977 was dealing with the same subject. I have
since then supervised 15 doctoral theses in that field. My most recently
supervised PhD Patrik Malm
worked on developing computerized analysis of PAP-smears for early detection of
cervical cancer, the same problem as I was addressing in my PhD thesis some 40
years ago. My early research resulted in a working, but far from cost-effective,
solution. Since then commercial systems have appeared on the market but they
are also very expensive and only used in rich countries. This time we are trying to develop a new
generation system, cost effective enough to be used also in countries such as
India where we have close collaboration.
Most of the
previous work has been related to cancer research but now we are also turning
into modern cell biology problems. Digital imaging cytometry is a field of
rapidly growing importance. One of my former PhD students, Carolina Wählby, is now professor of Quantitative Microscopy and is
very successfully leading this research in close collaboration with the Science
for Life Laboratory project.
But cell image analysis is
not my only interest. I also work with other medical images e.g. from radiology
(CT, MR) or nuclear medicine (PET, SPECT). One of our main early results in
that field was the development of a computerized brain atlas. Currently we have an exciting
project on using haptic interaction to supplement the visual one in exploring
medical images in particular for planning of maxillofacial surgery. We also have
collaboration with Örjan Smedby
at KTH on whole body angiographic images.
Our research at CBA also
covers many other things. The first full professor in image analysis at the
centre, starting 1993, was Gunilla Borgefors. She is well established in the field of digital
geometry where she has made several fundamental contributions. Those methods
are used in many of our applied projects both by her students and mine. A
couple of her former students, Robin Strand and Filip Malmberg
are working in close collaboration with the Radiology Department at Uppsala
University developing fundamental medical image analysis algorithms.
A completely non-medical
application area is our project on reading old handwritten documents headed by
Anders Brun. We also have research on computer
graphics and visualisation at Uppsala University with Stefan Seipel and Anders Hast. The current head of CBA, professor Ingela Nyström is also mainly working on visualization and
interaction problems.
For a much more complete
account of our research I refer to the other web-pages at www.cb.uu.se e.g. the personal web-pages of my
colleagues and students and in particular to our annual report which lists all
our current projects, publications, collaboration partners and other recent
activities.