Unsupervised Deep Photon-Counting CT Reconstruction for Extremity Imaging
Official title: Unsupervised Deep Photon-Counting Computed Tomography Reconstruction for Human Extremity Imaging
Funded at University of Massachusetts Lowell · NIH-11324306 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new AI-based method uses photon-counting CT data to produce high-quality images of hands and feet with lower radiation, even when ground-truth images aren’t available.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Massachusetts Lowell NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lowell, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $464,056 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EB034737-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11324306 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients undergoing extremity CT scans at facilities with photon-counting CT capabilities may benefit if the method proves effective.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose scans are not conducted with photon-counting CT or whose conditions are not imaging-driven may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to improve CT images from photon-counting scanners using unsupervised deep learning techniques. By learning from the data itself, the method seeks to produce clearer images while keeping radiation dose low for patients with extremity concerns. The work focuses on overcoming instabilities in deep tomographic reconstruction to enable reliable clinical use of multi-energy CT with novel contrast agents like bismuth and gold nanoparticles.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive clearer scans with lower radiation, aiding diagnosis and treatment planning for extremity conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows promise but notes instabilities in deep reconstruction; this grant tackles stability for clinical applicability.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Lowell, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yu, Hengyong — University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Study coordinator: Yu, Hengyong
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.