Objectives
This project offers to develop a quantitative FMT-XCT system, by appropriately advancing optical tomography and X-ray CT imaging methods so that they can seamlessly integrated into a hybrid imaging system and method.
The general aims of this project are:
- To research optimal methods for yielding improved XCT contrast and deliver a corresponding XCT design and prototype.
- To research and validate new inversion schemes that offer optimal FMT stand-alone imaging performance in free space FMT implementations.
- To research and deliver optimal methods for utilizing a-priori information into the FMT inversion code for developing the best FMT performance ever developed.
- To build a highly performing quantitative FMT-XCT prototype.
- To apply FMT-XCT in vivo in preclinical imaging of mouse models of breast cancer.
- To research the quantitative ability of FMT-XCT in visualizing treatment in vivo.
- Compare FMT-XCT and PET-XCT to quantitatively assess the sensitivity and overall image fidelity achieved by FMT-XCT, using PET-XCT as a gold standard.