Brain research supercharged by new ‘control panel’ accessible worldwide

The flood of data from brain research worldwide has now been channelled into an easy-to-use, open-access processing tool built to supercharge our understanding of the human brain.  

Neurodesk – a platform for processing, analysing and sharing massive datasets – has solved critical issues in the search for answers about brain disorders and diseases such as epilepsy, dementia, schizophrenia and traumatic brain injury. Neuroimaging data comes from modalities such as MRI, PET and MEG/EEG scans. 

Neurodesk was proposed at, led by and supported by National Imaging Facility partners including the University of Queensland, Swinburne University of Technology, and the Australian Imaging Service through University of Sydney.  

“It has removed a significant bottleneck that has hindered our ability to explore the complexities of the human brain, streamlining the processing of vast amounts of neuroimaging data,” says Dr Steffen Bollmann, project lead at the University of Queensland. 

[Image: Members of the Neurodesk team, Aswin Narayanan, Thuy Dao, Dr Steffen Bollmann. Image credit: Dr Nicholas Hamilton.]

Both individual people and society stand to benefit: unravelling the brain’s mysteries helps us find cures for debilitating brain disorders, relieve people of the pain of untreated mental health issues and its societal cost, develop personalised medical treatments, inform public health policies, and understand human behaviour. 

Neurodesk is like the ultimate, seamless sci-fi control panel. Accessible through a user-friendly browser interface, it works across operating systems, pulling together different neuroimaging programs that run in all different ways, and is able to run giant research projects or small ones with its seamless access to computing power. 

Dr Bollmann sees Neurodesk’s accessibility as a leap forward in democratising neuroscience tools: “It empowers researchers worldwide to use open-source neuroimaging tools effectively and focus on their research questions, rather than grappling with technical obstacles.” 

“It is difficult to overstate how much benefit Neurodesk provides to our facility,” says Dr Tim Rosenow, NIF Facility Fellow and Neurodesk user at UWA’s Centre for Microscopy Characterisation and Analysis. “Researchers no longer need to be experienced in IT to perform their analyses, because software, dependencies, and conflicts are already handled.” 

However, the most important aim of Neurodesk’s creators was reproducibility: the process of other researchers replicating studies to check results and build a foundation of reliable scientific knowledge. The platform contains techniques that enable researchers to accurately replicate other teams’ analyses.  

Scientists can even share and publish their analyses, which can significantly reduce time and effort for collaboration and creating new knowledge. They can then tackle bigger neuroscience questions and analyse larger datasets. 

The ability to handle huge amounts of data is crucial, moving forward in brain research. Neurodesk gives researchers access to supercomputers and cloud computing to process neuroimaging data efficiently, letting them work with ‘biobanks’ of data (for instance, the UK Biobank holds imaging data from 50,000+ people). 

“By simplifying neuroimaging, fostering collaboration and empowering scientists to handle huge datasets, this breakthrough not only advances our understanding of the healthy human brain, but also sheds light on the intricacies of various brain disorders,” says Dr Bollmann, “promising improved diagnostics and treatments in the future.” 

Read the new paper published in Nature Methods here. 

#ImagingTheFuture: The world-leading impact of the Australian biomedical imaging community

It’s Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s #ImagingTheFuture Week, celebrating the remarkable impact of the international biomedical imaging community.

We’re privileged to partner with our NCRIS colleagues at Microscopy Australia to present some of Australia’s impactful imaging projects, supported by our national research infrastructure.

Through open access to state-of-the-art expertise, equipment, tools, data and analysis, we’re proud to empower Australian medical researchers, materials and agriculture scientists to address pressing challenges across research and industry.

The power of advanced imaging technology is driving solutions for Australia’s strategic science and research priorities, fostering innovation, supporting industry and contributing to our health and wellbeing.

Scroll down to read more about some of the impactful and innovative biomedical imaging projects we support through our Preclinical and Frontier Imaging, Advanced Human Imaging, Radiopharmaceuticals, and Imaging Data Collections and Partnerships programs, or head over to our socials and the Microscopy Australia website for more Australian imaging.

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About Australia’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS):
The Australian Government Department of Education helps maintain Australia’s reputation as an established global leader in world-class research by ensuring researchers have access to cutting edge national research infrastructure supported through the NCRIS program. More information: www.education.gov.au/ncris

Better evidence for decision-making in health

Advanced imaging methods and analysis provide critical evidence for decision-making across all aspects of health and clinical science to keep Australia healthy.
Harnessing MEG to model neural dynamics

Partner: Swinburne University of Technology

Imaging expertise:
A/Prof David White
Dr Will Woods

Instrument:
MEG Facility at Swinburne Neuroimaging.

Acknowledgements:
Miao Cao (Swinburne and Peking University), Jiayi Liu (Peking University), Wei Cui (Peking University), Xiongfei Wang (Capital Medical University Sanbo Brain Hospital), Will Woods (Swinburne), David White (Swinburne), Simon Vogrin (Swinburne), Chris Plummer (Swinburne), Changsong Zhou (Hongkong Baptist University), Jia-hong Gao (Peking University)

Image description:
Modelling neural dynamics from non-invasive MEG recordings has the potential to provide crucial insights in the fast-evolving physiological and pathological activity that gives rise to such dynamics. Combining MEG data acquired at the Swinburne NIF node and 3-D velocity field approaches in epilepsy patients, temporospatial patterns in 3-dimensional brain space were obtained and spiral patterns (including singularities) were revealed at seizure onset region, potentially suggesting highly non-linear dynamics and locally unbalanced excitatory-inhibitory neural networks were developed and progressed at seizure onset (from onset up to 1200ms) within the localised brain region. Such developments build on existing work with MEG technology to emphasise the utility of MEG in understanding brain function in health and disease. 

Enhancing Low-Field MRI Images through Generative Deep Learning

Partner:
Monash University, The University of Queensland, Herston Imaging Research Facility, SAHMRI, The University of Western Australia

Imaging expertise:
Dr Kh Tohidul Islam

Instrument:
Utilizing paired datasets from 100 healthy participants, images were obtained at Monash Biomedical Imaging facility using Hyperfine Swoop (64mT) and Siemens Biograph mMR (3T) systems. The deep learning model was trained to generate synthetic 3T-like images from 64mT images, and their performance was compared against actual 3T images.

Acknowledgements:
This project is funded by the National Imaging Facility (NIF) and Hyperfine Inc. Special thanks are extended to the NIF at Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, for their facilities and support.

View publication for more information.

Image description:
The image displays MRI scans of a 38-year-old male participant. It includes T1, T2, and FLAIR sequences, each showing four columns: 64mT, 3T, Synthetic 3T, and the difference between 3T and synthetic 3T images. The synthetic images closely resemble the 3T images, demonstrating minimal anatomical variation and highlighting the model’s effectiveness in enhancing 64mT images. This research aims to improve low-field MRI images (64mT) using a Generative Deep Learning method, making them comparable to standard high-field (3T) MRI images.

Better health for the young and older Australians 

Imaging studies that look at conditions in younger and older Australians are essential for understanding and promoting healthy development and ageing.
Early detection of biomarker changes in Huntington’s Disease using PET imaging

Partner:
SAHMRI

Imaging expertise:
Dr Muneer Ahamed
Ms Georgia Williams

Instrument:
Large animal PET scanner at SAHMRI

Acknowledgements:
Expertise and help from radiochemistry team and large animal technicians at SAHMRI and contributions from researchers at University of Antwerp, University of Cambridge and University of Warwick drives this project. The authors acknowledge CHDI Foundation, New York for providing the preclinical models.

Find out more information here.

Image description:
A representative PET image showing [18F]FDOPA uptake in neostriatum in preclinical models.

Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative condition that causes cognitive, movement and behavioural disturbances, which over time result in progressive disability and eventual death. SAHMRI’s NIF fellows Dr. Muneer Ahamed and Ms. Georgia Williams leading a preliminary feasibility study to validate the use of transgenic preclinical models of HD in PET imaging studies. This study is expected to monitor early-stage (disease onset) and longitudinally evaluate biomarker changes in HD following the slow progression of the HD. This will be first time PET imaging is carried out in this type of HD preclinical model, with the help of NIF’s dedicated large animal PET scanner at SAHMRI.

Growing use of imaging in agriculture and ecology

Imaging is accelerating as an important capability for agricultural and ecological sciences.
Understanding the ecology of coral reefs

Partner:
University of Western Australia

Imaging expertise:
Ms Diana Patalwala

Instrument:
MicroCT

Acknowledgements:
Mr Damian Thomson, CSIRO

Image description:
Micro computerized tomography (μCT) scans of experimental Porites sp. blocks deployed in the lagoon and on the reef slope Ningaloo Reef for 20 months (605 days). Block images show representative scans of two individual blocks (a) pre- and (b) post-deployment in green, and areas of (c) external and (d) internal erosion post-deployment in red.

Porites corals can reveal the past sea conditions by their oxygen isotopes, which reflect the temperature and rainfall of the seawater. This information is useful for studying how the climate and weather patterns have changed over time, and how physical and biological factors influence the distribution and abundance of organisms on the seafloor.

DTI tractogram of a quokka brain: Exploring how marsuipials adapt to different environments

Partner:
Biological Resource Imaging Laboratory (BRIL), UNSW

Imaging expertise:
Dr Andre Bongers
Mr Simone Zanoni

Instrument:
Bruker BioSpec Avance III 94/20 Preclinical MRI

Acknowledgements:
Jyothi Thittamranahalli Kariyappa, Simone Zanoni, Andre Bongers, Lydia Tong, Ken W. S. Ashwell

View publication for more information.

Cultural contributions to materials, engineering and culture

Many varied industrial and research problems— such as chemical processes, materials science, environmental and ecosystems research, security, palaeontology and cultural preservation—are increasingly opening up to the benefits of advanced imaging technologies.
Discovery of a new nasal-emitting trident bat from early Miocene forests in northern Australia

Partner:
Biological Resource Imaging Laboratory (BRIL), UNSW

Instrument:
MILabs U-CT microCT scanner

Acknowledgements:
Suzanne J. Hand, Michael Archer, Anna Gillespie, Troy Myers

View publication for more information.

Understanding equine anatomy: Investigating intestinal muscle structure to prevent rupture

Partner:
Western Sydney University

Instrument:
Diffusion tensor image of a cross-section of equine intestine taken using the 11.7 T MRI at the Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Facility (BMRF) at WSU Campbelltown campus.

Acknowledgements:
Kate Averay1, Denis Verwilghen1, Marianne Keller3, Neil Horadagoda2, Marina Gimeno2

1Camden Equine Centre, University Veterinary Teaching Hospital Camden, Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Australia

2Pathology Services, University Veterinary Teaching Hospital Camden, Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Australia

3Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Australia

Image description:
The research group is looking at equine jejunum rupture and whether there are any anatomical differences in the rupture region. Colour-coding shows the anisotropy of the tissue. The key is on the upper right and shows red is left-right, green is up-down and blue is in and out of the screen. You can clearly see two layers of muscle: the red-green layer wrapping around the intestine and the blue layer running longitudinally.

NIF – ACRF collaboration launches Australian-first facility for new cancer therapies

Queensland’s Assistant Minister for Health and Regional Health Infrastructure, the Hon Brittany Lauga MP joined the University of Queensland’s Vice-Chancellor and President Prof Deborah Terry AO and Chair of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF), Mr Tom Dery AO to officially open the ACRF Facility for Targeted Radiometals in Cancer (AFTRiC) at the Centre for Advanced Imaging (CAI) in Brisbane today.

[NIF Fellow Dr Gary Cowin demonstrating the capabilities of the new Facility, with Assistant Minister for Health and Regional Health Infrastructure, the Hon Brittany Lauga MP]

AFTRiC will be Australia’s first facility for the discovery, development and clinical application of novel alpha particle-based cancer therapeutics, as well as other radiometal and molecular imaging agents.

The Facility has been co-funded by the National Imaging Facility (NIF) ($1.2m) in partnership with the ACRF ($1.2m), the Ian Potter Foundation ($180k) and the University of Queensland.

[Assistant Minister for Health and Regional Health Infrastructure, the Hon Brittany Lauga MP with UQ NIF Node Director Prof Markus Barth]

AFTRiC will support the advancement of cancer theranostics (combined therapy and diagnostics in imaging), using cancer-seeking molecules attached to alpha particles to deposit high-energy radiation to cancer cells, without impacting healthy tissue.

NIF Chief Executive Officer, Prof Wojtek Goscinski said it was a privilege to partner with the University of Queensland, the ACRF and the Ian Potter Foundation to boost Australia’s open-access alpha particle research capabilities.

“Our investment in AFTRiC aligns with NIF’s commitment to grow our capability to help researchers and industry use alpha particles to produce and test new-generation theranostics,” Prof Goscinski said.

“The development of new theranostics through AFTRiC will support this fast-growing area of significant healthcare innovation, allowing doctors to ‘see what they treat’ by combining diagnosis and treatment to improve cancer therapy and outcomes.”

CAI Deputy Director (Research) Prof Kris Thurecht said several pieces of AFTRiC equipment had already been installed at CAI and used to evaluate first-in-class radiopharmaceuticals, building a strong case for the development and clinical translation of new cancer drugs.

“Radiopharmaceuticals and theranostics have been identified by all levels of government as a next-generation research priority, and AFTRiC firmly positions us as one of the country’s leading capabilities in this space,” Prof Thurecht said.

[CAI Deputy Director (Research) Prof Kris Thurecht lead a tour of the new Facility]

“We will be one of the few places in the country that can produce these specialised radiopharmaceuticals and, in collaboration with our industry partners, we will evaluate and hopefully develop clinical grade product for clinical trials.”

AFTRiC is one of two NIF investments underpinning a national capability for targeted alpha particle therapeutics. The other is establishing a new facility at ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus to enable the development and translation of alpha-emitting radiopharmaceuticals, having access to radioisotopes produced in the OPAL research reactor.

NIF imaging to underpin research building complete picture of concussion

Concussion is a form of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Across Australia each year, an estimated 35,000 people with reported mTBI experience symptoms that persist for months – or even years. There is a pressing need to develop improved clinical and imaging tools to aid early diagnosis and better monitor ongoing recovery for patients. NIF advanced imaging technology will be used to establish a national imaging data resource of people experiencing mTBI across Australia. 

NIF is partnering with AUS-mTBI, a national consortium of clinicians, researchers, industry partners and decision-makers working to build Australia’s first clinical and imaging data resource of people experiencing mTBI. 

The world-leading initiative aims to help provide a better understanding of normal patterns of recovery and to identify the risk factors associated with delays or persistent post-concussion symptoms. 

Curtin University neuroscientist Professor Melinda Fitzgerald leads AUS-mTBI, with funding from the Federal Government’s Medical Research Future Fund, in collaboration with experts in brain biology, trauma, human behaviour, risk assessment, software design and development, support and patient care. 

NIF imaging will play an important role in helping the consortium in realising its aims of better understanding – and ultimately treating – concussion. 

NIF’s MRI technology will be used to scan the brains of people to be recruited to the research project in coming months. 

This will improve understanding of each person’s brain biology to accurate predict their outcomes and guide personalised treatment. 

Professor Fitzgerald says the imaging will validate the complex picture of concussion that AUS-mTBI is building, including each person’s unique biology, background and behaviour. 

She says AUS-mTBI will build this complex picture of concussion as it expands upon the HeadCheck app to gather a range of information including demographic data and factors that will have a bearing on a person’s outcome. 

The database will provide the information to people with concussion and clinicians to improve treatment recommendations. 

“We aim to have an evidence-based resource for everyone who may come across someone with a concussion, especially GPs, physiotherapists and trainers,” Professor Fitzgerald says. 

“The resource will also be for people with concussion who may not have sought access to clinical care.” 

Professor Fitzgerald says concussion is complex and a detailed picture is needed to predict a patient’s outcome, ahead of personalising the treatment. 

“In order to predict whether people will have continuing symptoms following a concussion, it’s important to have information about the type of injury, such as if the person had amnesia after the initial trauma, their mental health, previous concussions and even social factors such as family support and access to healthcare. 

“The research will find out whether all this information helps with predicting which people may be likely to have long-lasting negative impacts or a delayed recovery.” 

Up to 200,000 TBIs are reported each year in Australia, typically resulting from traffic accidents, falls, contact sports or acts of violence. 

While about 180,000 are considered mild, an estimated 35,000 people can have long-lasting symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, trouble sleeping, ringing in the ears and loss of concentration and memory. 

AUS-mTBI will also develop programs designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those in who live in rural and remote areas. 

The research is starting with recruitment of people who will undergo brain scans using NIF capabilities at the University of Western Australia and University of Queensland Nodes. 

Consortium members include Curtin, Monash, Edith Cowan, Griffith, Macquarie and Deakin universities, software company Curve Tomorrow, the Queensland Brain Institute, Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and support organisation Synapse Australia. 

“This research is valuable because it will determine the best information to collect to predict the outcome of mild TBI, analyse that information to guide treatment, make treatment more consistent across Australia – and possibly the world – and provide personalised care plans,” Professor Fitzgerald says.   

“We have an opportunity, through better healthcare, to improve quality of life for people with mild TBI and reduce the impacts on their families, our society and the healthcare system.” 

The NCRIS Health Group 

This cross-disciplinary research project is supported by National Imaging Facility and the Population Health Research Network as part of the NCRIS Health Group, assisting Australian researchers to leverage access to world-leading facilities for impactful outcomes.  

The NCRIS Health Group enhances collaborative opportunities between infrastructure capabilities, enabling support across the whole research translation cycle. It includes Bioplatforms Australia (BPA), National Imaging Facility (NIF), Phenomics Australia, Population Health Research Network (PHRN) and Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA). Click here for more information. 

Communities in regional Australia to benefit from world’s first mobile magnetic resonance imaging network

National Imaging Facility (NIF) is deploying four low-field portable MRI scanners to remote and regional sites to help researchers apply this affordable imaging technology in rural areas.

Australians living in regional and rural areas unduly suffer lower life expectancy and a higher burden of diseases because of poorer access to health services, including reduced screening, late detection and barriers to treatment compared with people living in metropolitan areas.

The national mobile magnetic resonance (MR) network will be the first project of its kind world-wide and is a collaboration with partners including Monash University, University of Queensland, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), the Alfred Hospital, Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia and MedTech company, Hyperfine.

The Hyperfine Swoop is the world’s first highly portable MR imaging system capable of providing neuroimaging at the point-of-care, designed to fit inside elevators and through doorways to be manoeuvred directly to a patient’s bedside, and plug into a standard electrical outlet.

These portable scanners will be used to understand how this fast-developing technology can help diagnose stroke, traumatic brain injury, and other conditions after testing in research laboratories at NIF nodes in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

The scanners will enable real time tele-reporting and either remote operation or point-of-care use with low training requirements.

NIF is uniquely positioned to support work to build the usability of low-field MR technology, including developing techniques to maximise data quality.

Researchers at these sites will scan subjects on low-field mobile MR and high-field 3T MRI instruments to build a unique database that can be used to bridge the gap in outputs.

This valuable data will be made available by NIF to researchers to develop techniques to improve image processing and better understand how low-field scans can be interpreted.

Head of the Imaging Analysis Team at Monash Biomedical Imaging and Project lead Chief Investigator, Dr Zhaolin Chen said the collaborative work across NIF Nodes was critical to the success of the project.

“This nationwide network is critically important to identify a viable pathway for point-of-care MRI technology to be used in Australia,” Dr Chen said.

“Multi-site data acquisition is already underway and AI-based solutions to expand utility in regional Australia are in development.

“The network enables our project team to share knowledge, cross-validate findings, optimise resources and plan the next steps, which ultimately provides a route from research into clinics,” Dr Chen said.

NIF Chief Executive Officer, Prof Wojtek Goscinski said there were additional long-term advantages to deploying the national mobile MR network to regional Australia.

“NIF is focused on keeping Australia at the forefront of imaging, and the national mobile MR network is an innovative application of new technology to improve accessibility,” Prof Goscinski said.

“We hope these data collections and the AI models researchers build using them will lead to better technology that will improve treatment and diagnosis for Australians.

“This work will provide the foundation for the development and application of AI in clinical practice for low-field MR scanners, with experts optimising image quality for clinical data usability with reduced noise and improved resolution.

“The national mobile MR network and NIF’s increased national human imaging reach will enable innovative health research in remote populations, improve low-field MR technology, and over the long run will help increase access to better healthcare, professional training and socio-economic equity,” Prof Goscinski said.

ISMRM and ISMRT ANZ Chapters’ Annual Meetings shine a light on national imaging expertise and infrastructure

[Image: Presentation award winners at ISMRM ANZ, Honours student, Arunan Srirengan, Dr Ed Green, Dr Gwen Schroyen and Dr Myrte Strik. Photo credit: Dr Adam Clemente]

The Australian and New Zealand Chapters of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and the International Society for Magnetic Resonance Radiographers and Technologists (ISMRT) held their Annual Meetings in Sydney last month, highlighting the work of leading national researchers and clinicians, including members of the NIF network.

NIF enables coordinated open access to magnetic resonance expertise and infrastructure to support leading national researchers and clinicians, and proudly supported the events.

ISMRM ANZ Joint Chapter Annual Meeting 9-10 Nov

ISMRM ANZ hosted sessions on revolutionising MRI technology, advances in neuroimaging, and clinical applications of advanced MRI, in addition to keynote speakers neurologist and leader in stroke medicine, Prof Mark Parsons and Director of the Institute of Medical Physics at the University of Sydney, Prof Annette Haworth.

Dr Zhaolin Chen was a key speaker in the Revolutionising MRI technology session, presenting the NIF Point-of-Care project, a collaboration between NIF, Australian hospitals, and US medical device manufacturer, Hyperfine, to build the usability of low-field MRI and bring critical imaging to remote Australia and deploy imaging in challenging clinical environments such as COVID wards.

[Image: Dr Zhaolin Chen presenting the NIF Point-of-Care Magnetic Resonance project at ISMRM ANZ]

A number of other NIF users spoke at ISMRM ANZ, including:

  • Rebecca Glarin from the University of Melbourne, presenting findings from her PhD on ‘Optimising functional brainstem imaging of sympathetic drive with ultra-high field MRI’.
  • Dr Shahrzad Moinian from the University of Queensland Centre for Advanced Imaging, presenting ‘In vivo microstructural border delineation between areas of the human cerebral cortex using magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) residuals’.
  • Honours student Arunan Srirengan presenting ‘Early identification of cerebral small vessel disease in obstructive sleep apnoea patients using magnetic resonance spectroscopy: a pilot study’, featuring data obtained on the NIF 3T MRI at NeuRA. This session was awarded second prize in the oral presentation awards.
  • Dr Myrte Strik from the University of Melbourne, presenting ‘Altered network topology in patients with visual snow syndrome: a resting-state 7 Tesla MRI study’, winning the award for best Early Career Researcher Data Blitz presentation.

[Image: Dr Shahrzad Moinian from the University of Queensland Centre for Advanced Imaging. Photo credit: Dr Adam Clemente]

Congratulations to University of Melbourne NIF Fellow, Prof Brad Moffatt as ANZ ISMRM Chapter President on the success of the 2022 meeting hosted at UNSW.

ISMRT ANZ Joint Chapter Annual Meeting 12-13 Nov

The ISMRT ANZ 2022 joint meeting program theme was MRI: Past, Present and Future, and featured a range of internationally renowned speakers demonstrating future technologies and cutting-edge imaging techniques.

Keynote presenters included Medical physicist and human brain imaging academic researcher Dr Samantha Holdsworth, Chief of the Quantitative Medical Imaging Laboratory, USA National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Dr Carlo Pierpaoli, and founding member of the Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and Principal Investigator for the Cardiac Atlas Project, Prof Alistair Young.

NIF Senior Manager and Senior Research Scientist – National Magnetic Resonance Capability, Dr Shawna Farquharson was a key speaker at the Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI) Forum, presenting on ‘DWI: Principles and practical applications’.

[Image: Dr Shawna Farquharson, National Imaging Facility]

NIF users showcased at ISMRT ANZ included:

  • Prof Lynne Bilston from NeuRA, presenting ‘Brain Elastography’.
  • Sarah Daniel from the University of Queensland Centre for Advanced Imaging, presenting ‘Image quality enhancement using deep learning for in vivo human kidney MRI’.

[Image: Ms Sarah Daniel from the University of Queensland Centre for Advanced Imaging]

Congratulations to all presenters at ISMRM and ISMRT ANZ.

Advanced imaging collects insights into museum’s birds and their evolution

Using advanced NIF imaging techniques to study bird skulls is helping researchers understand how they see, how they evolved to hunt at night, and the best ways to protect them.

In the process, researchers are also digitising valuable museum collections, connecting communities to nature and science and unlocking possibilities for researchers to investigate our natural world.

NIF Micro-computed tomography (CT scanning) at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Advanced Imaging has been used to scan 30 raptor skulls from Australian museums, create 3D reconstructions, measure and then study the anatomy for tell-tale signs of a bird’s visual powers.

Research published in Royal Society Open Science compared the world’s only nocturnal hawk, the Australian letter-winged kite Elanus scriptus, to other hawks and falcons with differing hunting styles.

Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology at Flinders University Vera Weisbecker said findings threw into doubt long-held views that changes to skeletal structure were needed for evolution.

The research sought to understand whether evolutionary changes to the eye-area of the skull was evidence of the kite’s adaptation to night-time hunting, Dr Weisbecker said.

“The answer is no. In fact, there are two close relatives of the letter-winged kite that have a similar bony visual system, but both hunt in daylight,” she said.

The findings have implications for the study of evolution, with researchers often deducing that changes in skeletal remains are linked to behavioural changes.

“That’s not necessarily the whole story. In this instance, there’s no difference between the eye regions in the skulls of the night-time and the day-time hunters, so if you were just looking at the skull, you’d never know.”

Dr Weisbecker said different birds had greatly adapted their vision to have excellent visual sensitivity, sharpness, colour discrimination or even UV wavelength detection.

For Australia’s letter-winged kite, it’s possible that the nocturnal bird also picks up odours and movement, as well as adjusting its hunting methods.

CT-scanning the 30 birds of prey was primarily undertaken by CAI’s Dr Karine Mardon, on NIF-funded equipment, with skulls provided by Queensland Museum.

Dr Mardon said the imaging techniques, teamed with recent advances in anatomical understanding, opened the door to a wealth of new knowledge without needing live birds or their tissues.

CAI was the ideal place to undertake the research, enabled through national investment in imaging equipment and expertise, data analysis capability, and existing relationships with the Queensland Museum and Flinders University, she said.

Dr Weisbecker said obtaining eyes and brains of rare species was generally not feasible but some aspects of their anatomy could be estimated from skulls.

“We are extremely lucky to have Australia’s amazing museum collections at our disposal to help us understand this bird without the need to find and disturb the species,” she said.

“The kinds of things you can study closely with CT scanning are the size of their eyes and their position in the skull – are they facing forward or more on the side?”

PhD student Aubrey Keirnan compared 3D reconstructions of the letter-winged kite’s skull and brain with other birds of prey in the Weisbecker lab.

“The diversity among hawks that are active during daylight is possibly the most striking between the Spotted Harrier and the Pacific Baza,” she said.

“Both are incredible predators, but one species resembles owls while the other is much more pigeon-like in appearance.

“These two species really highlight how adaptable and diverse the visual systems of birds are, even amongst species within the same family.

“You can have birds that are anatomically similar but behave differently – and species that are behaviourally similar but anatomically different. Both sides of the coin are true.”

But Dr Weisbecker said the research was not just about insights into evolution.

The Australian letter-winged kite lives in remote, arid Australia, avoids human settlements and is highly elusive. It is listed as near-threatened, with population estimates varying between 670 and 6,700, she said.

“To conserve the species, it is critical that we understand its behavioural needs and capabilities, but these are extremely difficult to observe.

“Think about fences and powerlines potentially posing a greater threat to nocturnal birds than their daytime relatives.

“For example, in an earlier study, we found that the nocturnal night parrot is likely unable to see small objects because it may trade high resolution for higher contrast. This may put it at risk of hitting with thin fence wires.”

Dr Mardon has also scanned the bones of a night parrot, a bandicoot and many Australian marsupial mammals.

“We have an excellent working relationship with Queensland Museum, who trust us with handling some of their precious items,” she said.

Later this year CAI will install a new NIF-funded CT-scanner, a Yxlon FF35CT, along with new software to increase graphics capability, such as accurate reconstructions of soft tissue around the skull.

CAI expects greater demand for scanning which contributes to research on evolution, and Australia’s native flora and fauna.

Read the article on the Australian letter-winged kite Elanus scriptus here: Not like night and day: the nocturnal letter-winged kite does not differ from diurnal congeners in orbit or endocast morphology | Royal Society Open Science (royalsocietypublishing.org)

More about National Imaging Facility (NIF)

NIF is Australia’s advanced imaging network.

We provide open access to flagship imaging equipment, expertise, tools, data and analysis. We address Australia’s strategic science and research priorities, and this benefits Australian industry and helps keep Australians healthy.

NIF provides a full suite of advanced imaging capability including preclinical and clinical, human and animal imaging, radiochemistry and imaging data analysis. We focus on health and medical innovation, and also provide highly specialised capabilities for agriculture, materials science, museums and cultural applications.

NIF assembles partnerships that produce quality-controlled and harmonised data that provides invaluable evidence to make new discoveries, validate new products and demonstrate new therapies.

We partner with people who can translate their discoveries into real-world applications. NIF has helped Australians innovate in fields such as bioengineering, clinical science, biology, medical technology, pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical therapies, agriculture, materials, museums and cultural collections.

More about the Centre for advanced Imaging (CAI)

The Centre for Advanced Imaging (CAI) brings together the skills of a critical mass of researchers and ‘state-of-the-art’ research imaging instruments. It is the only facility of its type in Australia, one of only a handful in the world. The 5,500 m2, $55M CAI building was funded by the Federal Education Investment Fund in 2010 and contains over $50M of imaging and spectroscopy equipment, putting The University of Queensland’s researchers at the forefront of a field that is advancing swiftly.

Our researchers work on innovations in spectroscopic and imaging technology, imaging biomarker development and in biomedical research disciplines, frequently in collaboration with clinical research sites and other local, national, and international research institutes.  Find out more here

Inaugural NIF Scientific Symposium kicks off #NationalScienceWeek

Leading researchers, clinicians and industry attended the inaugural National Imaging Facility (NIF) Scientific Symposium on 12 August.

The event kicked off National Science Week for NIF, highlighting the critical role of collaboration in translating research challenges to benefit industry and keep Australians healthy, with the theme ‘National partnerships for innovation and impact’.

NIF CEO Prof Wojtek Goscinski said the Symposium was an excellent opportunity to highlight ground-breaking work from Australia’s world-class imaging community.

“It was a privilege to host experts from across Australia, including keynote speakers Prof Graeme Jackson, Prof Louise Emmet and Prof Gemma Figtree, whose work is at the leading edge of imaging globally,” Prof Goscinski said.

“I’d also like to extend my thanks to the presenters who delivered an excellent Technology Showcase session, and Health and Medical Translational Challenges session.

“A particular highlight was hearing from our industry partners, including Telix Pharmaceuticals, Clarity Pharmaceuticals, Cochlear and Nyrada, who discussed the way they engage with national imaging research infrastructure.

“NIF is privileged to have a strong network of world-leading expertise at our fingertips and it was an honour to bring some of these people together to present their work and share ideas at the 2022 Symposium,” he said.

Keynote presentations of the Symposium included:

  • ‘The Australian Epilepsy Project’, Prof Graeme Jackson
  • ‘From mouse to Medicare: the PSMA story in Australia’, Prof Louise Emmett
  • ‘Coronary artery imaging to inform the next Frontier of heart attack prevention’, Prof Gemma Figtree

The Technology Showcase session highlighted NIF’s latest capabilities, including tools for processing and interpreting data, and applications of imaging to solve complex problems, including:

  • ‘Ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging’, Prof Leigh Johnston and Prof Markus Barth
  • ‘Bringing imaging to rural Australia with a national network of low field mobile MR scanners’, Dr Zhaolin Chen
  • ‘Australian Imaging Service: The national platform for trusted data management and analysis’, Dr Ryan Sullivan
  • ‘Magnetic Particle Imaging’, Dr Andre Bongers
  • ‘An insight into MicroCT imaging: recent advances, applications and impact on research and innovation’, Ms Diana Patalwala
  • ‘Preclinical Research: The Crucial Step in Medical Advancements’, Dr Chris Christou

The Health and Medical Translation Challenges session provided an opportunity for attendees to hear from clinicians and researchers about their journey to making translational impact, including:

  • ‘Neuroimaging in clinical trials: Perspectives of a clinician-researcher’, A/Prof Sylvia Gustin
  • ‘The Australasian Radiopharmaceutical Trials network (ARTnet)’, A/Prof Ros Francis

The Industry Discussion Panel opened up conversation on how imaging accelerates and underpins innovation and future opportunities, with speakers:

  • Dr David Cade, Chief Executive Officer, Telix Pharmaceuticals Asia Pacific
  • Dr Matt Harris, Chief Scientific Officer, Clarity Pharmaceuticals
  • Dr Zachary Smith, Director, Algorithms and Applications, Cochlear
  • Dr Jasneet Parmar, Neuroscience Researcher, Nyrada Inc
Prof Graeme Jackson
CEO Prof Wojtek Goscinski presents at NIF Scientific Symposium
Prof Gemma Figtree
Ms Diana Patalwala
Ms Diana Patalwala
Prof Tom Johnstone
Dr Andre Bongers
Ms Saba Salehi
Dr Ryan Sullivan
Industry Discussion Panel
Industry Discussion Panel
A/Prof Ros Francis
A/Prof Ros Francis
A/Prof Sylvia Gustin
Prof Louise Emmett
Dr Chris Christou
Prof Leigh Johnston and Prof Markus Barth

Members of the NIF network recognised internationally as in-person conferences return

[Pictured: UNSW-NeuRA Facility Fellow, Dr Michael Green presented a study titled “Effect of Compressed SENSE on Freesurfer parcellation precision” which was a collaboration between NeuRA researchers, Philips Australia and New Zealand, and UNSW.]

In-person events have returned – and over the last few months, leading edge experts from the NIF network have attended, presented, and taken the opportunity to collaborate at conferences like ANZSNM and ISMRM.

We’re proud to acknowledge the members of the NIF network who have presented their globally significant work to the greater imaging communities.

We congratulate University of Sydney-ANSTO Node Co-Director, Prof Fernando Calamante as President of ISMRM on the success of the 2022 31st Annual Meeting hosted in London, UK in May.

We also recognise the incredible achievement of Dr Shawna Farquharson as recipient of the ISMRT 2022 Distinguished Service Award at the same event.

Back in Australia, NIF kicked off events with a Molecular imaging and Radiopharmaceuticals Capability Showcase at ANZSNM. We were honoured to invite world-class speakers from within our network, Prof Steven Meikle, A/Prof Roslyn Francis, Prof Gary Egan, Prof Kristofer Thurecht and Dr John Bennett to present during the NIF session.

We look forward to seeing more of our network at upcoming events – stay tuned for the NIF Scientific Symposium next month in Sydney. Save the date for Friday 12 August.

Here are some more highlights from the NIF network attending events so far this year:

Markus Barth

QLD Node Director

ISMRM

 

Why did you attend? Many reasons: present group results; moderator of sessions; member of study groups and initiatives

 

What was the highlight of the event for you? Catching up with fellow researchers

 

What would you say to someone considering attending next meeting? Best check the hybrid setup, i.e. what is available in person and what is available online

Michael Green

NeuRA Facility Fellow

ISMRM

Why did you attend? Primarily it was a great way to re-connect with colleagues and share ideas in an old-fashioned, non-Zoom type of way. I presented a study titled “Effect of Compressed SENSE on Freesurfer parcellation precision” which was a collaboration between NeuRA researchers, Philips Australia and New Zealand, and UNSW. The study assessed the reliability of an MRI acceleration techniques designed to speed up the time it takes to acquire images. We wanted to provide a guideline for MR researchers wanting to reduce scan time while acquiring high quality data.

 

What was the highlight of the event for you? The face-to-face aspect of a conference was a real highlight. It was a nice compliment and surprise to see Philips also present data from our study to a global audience as validation for their acceleration techniques employed on their MRI machines. I also received some interesting feedback regarding the study analysis which I may implement before publishing the manuscript.

 

What would you say to someone considering attending next meeting? Study the conference schedule well before attending then pick and choose which seminars you’d like to attend. Then talk to as many people as possible. In person!

Joseph Ioppolo

UWA Facility Fellow

ANZSNM

Why did you attend? This is a good meeting to attend to connect with the other radiochemists in Australia. Due to COVID I had not had a chance to do this in a long while. I was also very keen to see the Q-TRaCE labs at Royal Brisbane, as we have a good working relationship between them and us at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. I was able to let people know I had moved across to the NIF Node at UWA and was able to speak about our new lab and facilities being built now in Perth during my talk on the Saturday

What was the highlight of the event for you? While ANZSNM was a great chance to hear some great talks and connect with a lot of people, it was also exciting to tour the labs at Q-TRaCE and the Centre for Advanced Imaging at UQ, where we also had our national Cyclotron User Group meeting.

What would you say to someone considering attending next meeting? There are just not that many radiochemists in Australia, and the ANZSNM (along with the EPSM) is a great opportunity to see meet each other in person and see how the radiopharmaceuticals we make are being used to image and treat disease around the country.

 

Sjoerd Vos

UWA Facility Fellow

ISMRM

 

Why did you attend? I presented a project shared between my current role as NIF fellow and my previous job in London.

 

What was the highlight of the event for you? My highlight was discussing potential new collaborations within Australia and internationally.

 

What would you say to someone considering attending next meeting? I think this is also a key reason to go to these conferences – to help explore new collaborations to benefit our imaging centres and community.

Shenjun Zhong

Monash Informatics Fellow

ISMRM (Virtual)

Why did you attend? My abstract was accepted as an online power pitch presentation in the ISMRM 2022 conference. And I virtually co-chaired one of the gather.town sessions in the theme of imaging processing and analysis.

What was the highlight of the event for you? The main highlight was the talk provided by one of the famous AI researchers, Yann LeCun, and his topic was ‘Future AI research in medical imaging‘. The key take-home message is the shifting from supervised to self-supervised learning framework in general AI and medical imaging research.

NIF Molecular Imaging and Radiochemistry Showcase to be presented at ANZSNM

National Imaging Facility enables access to imaging capabilities across the country and will present a Molecular Imaging and Radiochemistry Showcase at ANZSNM 2022, featuring presentations from a range of research leaders from Australia’s advanced imaging network.

See the full ANZSNM program here.

Register to attend ANZSNM 2022.

National Imaging Facility: Molecular Imaging and Radiochemistry Showcase
Saturday 14 May 2022, 3:15pm – 4:15pm
Session Chair: Prof Wojtek Goscinski, CEO National Imaging Facility

TimeSpeakerTopic
3:15 – 3:20Professor Wojtek Goscinski

Chief Executive Officer
National Imaging Facility

Introduction to NIF Molecular Imaging and
Radiochemistry Showcase

3:20 – 3:30Professor Steven Meikle

Head of the Imaging Physics Laboratory, Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney

Total Body PET
3:30 – 3:40Associate Professor Roslyn Francis

Head of Department of Nuclear Medicine and WA PET Service, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, University of Western Australia

Radiochemistry activities in Western Australia
3:40 – 3:50Professor Gary Egan

Professor and Foundation Director, Monash Biomedical Imaging

Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function

Australian Precision Medicine Enterprise
3:50 – 4:00Prof Kristofer Thurecht

Acting Deputy Director (Research Technologies) and Group Leader – Principal Research Fellow,

Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland

Affiliate Principal Research Fellow and Group Leader,

Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology

Alpha therapies and activities
4:00 – 4:10Dr John Bennett

Research Infrastructure Platform Leader – Biosciences,
ANSTO

ANSTO’s new NIF Alpha Radioisotopes and
Radiopharmaceuticals Facility
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