Equipment at CMIV

Through unique collaborations with the industry, it is possible for CMIV to always have the latest and most advanced equipment. This is a prerequisite for the successful research carried out at CMIV.

CT – Computed Tomography

CT 1 – Siemens Healthineers NAEOTOM Alpha

This is a first-generation dual source CT scanner with photon counting technology. The photon counting detectors have 4 main advantages compared to conventional (scintillator based) CT detectors. The pixels of the detectors are much smaller than before without radiation dose penalty. This leads to images with spatial resolution at a new level. Each photon´s energy is measured and therefore images are created without electronic noise. The energy information of the photons can be used for advanced spectral applications, such as k-edge imaging. Moreover, the detector is more sensitive for low-energy photons, which makes it possible to reduce the radiation dose and contrast media dosage drastically.

CT 2 – Siemens Healthineers SOMATOM Force

This CT enables routinely performed exams at low kV settings (70–90 kV), even in adults. This is due to the system being equipped with powerful generators and X-ray tubes. The low kV settings allow for substantial reductions in contrast medium dose. Improvements have been made on the detector side as well with an increased number of detector rows and upgraded collimation. The SOMATOM Force renders images with high spatial resolution and soft-tissue contrast. It contains two X-ray sources and two detectors, which can be used simultaneously. This in combination with a broader detector enables faster scans. High speed scanning is necessary for cardiac examinations as well as for restless patients. The two X-ray sources also provide the possibility for dual energy examinations with improved spectral separation.

Photon-counting-detector computed tomography
CMIV's photon-counting detector CT with researchers.

MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging

MR 1 - The Siemens 3.0T Prisma

Has a 60 cm bore and gradients with 80mT/m and 200 T/m/s simultaneously, which facilitate fMRI and DTI studies in a 64 receive channels head coil. Advanced fMRI research is possible using video glasses with built-in eye-sight correction as well as eye-tracking, and it is also possible to combine these measurements with simultaneous multichannel MR-EEG. The coil concept also offers high coil density using parallel transmit technology called TimTX TrueShape for cardiac, abdominal and musculoskeletal examinations.

MR 2 - The Philips Ingenia 3.0T

Has a 70 cm bore. It is equipped with Xtend gradient system (up to 45mT/m and 200 T/m/s) and two parallel RF transmission channels (Multitransmit 4D), which adapt the RF signals to each patient. Multitransmit facilitates an increased image uniformity, contrast, and consistency, as well as faster imaging. A full range of receiver coils is available with analog-to-digital converters inside the coils (dStream RF). This samples the MR signal directly in the coil on the patient and sends it to the reconstructor via a fiber-optic cable.

MR 3 - The Philips Achieva 1.5T

Has a 60 cm bore and is equipped with Nova Dual gradients (up to 66 mT/m and 160 T/m/s), and the latest software release and upgraded to dStream resulting in up to 40 % higher SNR, and a dynamic range that exceeds 185 dB.

Other specialty equipment includes several MR-elastography (MRE) systems for both 1.5 T and 3 T, based on both electrodynamic and gravitational transducers. Our MRE-capability is best in class and can be used to quantify changes of the biomechanical properties of pathologies, as is caused by fibrosis and inflammation. We have also access to a unique installation of multinuclear MR spectroscopy, allowing us to investigate both static and dynamic energy metabolism in tissues. The latter is highly facilitated by our MR-compatible MR-ergometers for quantitative cardiac and muscle research.

A full research agreement with Philips Medical Systems and Siemens Healthineers allows all possible clinical as well as critical technical research applications.

CMIV's MR scanner Philips 3T
CMIV's MR scanner Philips 3T

Digital Pathology and Annotation

For histo-pathology CMIV has a glass scanner from Hamamatsu. The Nanozoomer 2.0HT convert glass slides into high-resolution digital data by highspeed scanning and has a capacity of scanning up to 210 glasses automatically. In addition, three workstations with touch screens are installed for annotation work.

PACS

Sectra radiology PACS is a comprehensive workstation, designed to optimize the workflow. It ensures quick and easy access to patient data and images and provides instant access to all the tools needed integrated on the desktop – including RIS and clinical applications. A number of advanced diagnostic workstations are available for clinical and research purposes.

Visualization

CMIV has its own Virtual Reality theatre with a capacity of 90 persons. The theatre is built around Barco dp4k-30L 6P Laser projector (21 000 lumens light output), with 4K resolution (4 096 Å~ 2 160). The Barco Laser 3D has a native 6-primary color-3D system. The system uses a Barco E2 Image processor, 4K Native 12 bits/color 3D input/output. The computer to screen connections are run by the Lightware mx-33R Digital Crosspoint matrix. The Wirecast 7.3 Recorder system allows recording and online streaming. During 2018 Wranne was upgraded to an advanced Zoom room enabling remote meetings and education. In addition to the theatre there is also a 55" Sectra visualization table and a wall mounted 85" Sectra visualization monitor with ten fingers multi-touch. The Visualization Table is a large interactive screen with an image display system that enables interaction with 3D human body images rendered from CT or MR.
Two PhDstudents in Wranne theater, CMIV
Two PhDstudents in Wranne theater, CMIV.

Computing and Storage

CMIV maintains dedicated server facilities, ensuring secure handling of sensitive data, complex research calculations, advanced analyses, and robust NAS backup solutions.

Building on our existing infrastructure, 2024 saw significant upgrades to enhance computational power and storage capacity and improve overall system resilience. We are utilizing newer, more powerful servers to handle increasingly demanding workloads. Alongside this, we have expanded our data storage capabilities, providing more space for our growing data needs. To ensure continuous operation and protect against power failures, we have installed a new, reliable power supply system for the entire infrastructure.

Infrastructure Management and Monitoring

CMIV has implemented Dell OpenManage to streamline server management and automate common tasks. To enhance system visibility and proactively identify potential issues.

Backup and Recovery

Recognizing the importance of robust data protection, we have significantly strengthened our backup and recovery capabilities. A new Veritas Backup Exec server was deployed to centralize backup operations and improve recovery times.

CMIV is the host of the AIDA Data Hub infrastructure. In 2024, this was extended with the Verdi system, providing hardware for the AIDA Data Hub Data Science Platform, supporting both sensitive and non-sensitive data and serves users with a wide range of expertise. It provides CPU and GPU compute resources, as well as long-term primary storage with a total capacity of 3.2 PB on spinning disks and 153 TB on solid state drives.

AIDA Data Hub also provides an Nvidia DGX-2 based system for training AI models using sensitive personal data.

AIDA DataHub
AIDA DataHub

More information about CMIV