Press Releases

Image-guided thermal ablation therapy is a patient-friendly, minimally invasive, and cost-effective tumor treatment method. This involves advancing a special needle directly into a tumor using CT and ultrasound to apply heat and destroy it. Until now, interventional radiologists could only estimate the extent to which the applied procedure destroys tumor cells. Hence, thermal ablation is associated with higher local tumor recurrence rates compared with treatment alternatives, causing a real barrier to wide adoption.

Reliable and feasible early detection of Alzheimer’s disease is the goal of DEBBIE, an international joint project under the EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND). It is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS in Bremen, which has received national funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for its work. In this project, MRI images shall uncover the extent to which the blood-brain barrier loses function before the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear. To speed up development, Fraunhofer MEVIS has now enhanced their own MRI scanner to allow much more effective cooperation with clinical partners.

Complications can always occur during operations, sometimes resulting in death. A new project called KIPeriOP aims to minimize the risk of such complications. The project is based on digitized decision guidelines and self-learning algorithms intended to provide reliable risk assessment based on individual patient data. What is the probability that certain complications will occur, and how might they be avoided? The project is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Anja Hennemuth from the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS and Prof. Dr. Patrick Meybohm from the University Hospital of Würzburg. Clinicians from the Asklepios Medical School GmbH, the University Hospital Frankfurt and the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin are involved. They are working together with experts from the fields of AI, user guidance, ethics, and health economics.

It took more than six years to plan and build, but now the new building of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS on the campus of the University of Bremen is completed. To celebrate the inauguration, the institute opens its doors, albeit only virtually due to the current pandemic. After the welcome addresses by Dr. Claudia Schilling, Bremen Senator for Science and Ports, by Alexander Kurz, Executive Vice President Human Resources, Legal Affairs, and IP Management of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, as well as by Prof. Dr. Bernd Scholz-Reiter, President of the University of Bremen, Fraunhofer MEVIS will present a sample of its current research activities. The online event will take place on Friday, June 18, from 2 to 5 pm. The event will be held in German, although the plenary session will be simultaneously interpreted into English, and some presentations will be given in English. Anna Stankiewicz (violin) and Elena Tomarchio (violoncello) from the Konsonanz chamber ensemble provide musical contributions.

Prof. Ron Kikinis, the former director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS in Bremen, has accepted a renowned appointment at Harvard Medical School in the United States. Since March 1, 2020, Prof. Horst Hahn has been the sole director of the Institute – for the prior six years, both had acted in dual leadership roles. Kikinis has assumed the B. Leonard Holman Endowed Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. This endowed chair is one of the highest academic distinctions at the prestigious Medical School and is only awarded to researchers who are worldwide leaders in their field.

During the “STEAM Imaging II” artist residency at Fraunhofer MEVIS, two artists from Singapore develop an interactive installation and participate in a youth workshop.

Endovascular interventions are an integral part of the medical routine with 6 million procedures done worldwide annually. During the procedure, doctors insert a thin, flexible wire to navigate the catheter into the blood vessels to apply stents or remove blood clots. In order to navigate the catheter precisely through the vessels, patients undergo X-rays during the procedure. One downside is that “patients and doctors are exposed to a considerable amount of radiation,” says Dr. Torben Pätz, mathematician at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS in Bremen. “In addition, the Xrays merely show a 2D projection instead of a 3D image, which can sometimes impede precise localization of the catheter.” Fraunhofer MEVIS is developing a system called IntelliCath (Intelligent Catheter Navigation) to remedy these problems.

Artificial intelligence and adaptive algorithms – in medicine, these are gaining increasing importance. Speaker programs at international conventions also reflect this trend by focusing more and more on possible applications of this new technology. One example is the Medical Imaging conference hosted by the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), which will take place in San Diego, California, from February 16 to 21. At this renowned convention, the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS will be represented by a number of experts who will provide insight into deep learning.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing MEVIS is one of the most prestigious research facilities of its kind. At four locations in Bremen, Lübeck, Berlin, and Aachen, the institute develops innovative software systems that support doctors in their daily routine, from heart diagnostics and tumor therapy to big data analysis for large-scale studies. Now, the institute’s main facility in Bremen will move into a new home. The cornerstone for the building will be laid at 11 o’clock on December 5, 2018. Starting in autumn 2020, it will provide a communicative and creative working environment for the MEVIS team.

The Fraunhofer MEVIS Institute for Medical Image Computing – in short: Fraunhofer MEVIS – is one of the world’s leading research centers in digital medicine. In order to prepare computer science students for challenges in this area, the institute and the University of Bremen are now cooperating even more closely in teaching. This winter semester saw the introduction of a new study area called Medical Computing in the Faculty of Mathematics / Computer Science.