The predecessor of the Key Lab for Medical Image Processing of Guangdong Province is a military key lab for medical image processing, which was founded in 1992 and in 2005 it became one of key labs of Guangdong Province. It was the first key lab specializing in medical imaging and image analysis at the provincial and ministerial level in China.
The lab is supported by Southern Medical University, highlighting the international interdisciplinary frontier of computer science and life science and focusing on the basic theory of medical imaging processing, technical methodologies and clinical application. Mainly by taking the innovative methodologies of information science, the lab endeavors to find the solution to the key scientific problems in medical imaging and image analysis, enhances the quality, speed as well as safety of medical imaging and increases accuracy, precision and stability of the analysis of medical imaging, to promote the medical imaging and image analysis technologies to serve the clinical diagnosis better.
The lab takes the theoretical knowledge, methodologies and clinical application of medical imaging and image analysis as its main research orientations, tries to be unique in the research of basic theory of image processing and hopes to get breakthrough achievements in both the depth of theory and width of discipline, pursues unprecedented research progress in some problems to be solved urgently on the medical imaging and image analysis, and keeps on encouraging the application of inventive patents as well, so as to promote technical support of imaging industry in China.
Research Orientations
Research on medical image processing
Research on medical image analysis
Research on medical image information system
Research Features
To set up a new innovative theoretical system based on the basic research and oriented by the application research
To assist those research projects which seek the technology release and form independent intellectual property rights, based on Guangdong Province, facing the whole country, serving the clinic and promoting the industry
Research team
Full-time faculty: 22 employees in the lab, including 8 professors, 9 associate professors and 5 lecturers
Part-time faculty: one academician/chair professor
In the past ten years, altogether 30 M.D. students and over 120 M.M. students have been fostered.
Scientific Research
Research Projects
In the past ten years, faculties have undertaken 23 research projects funded by the Central Government, Guangdong Provincial and Guangzhou Municipal government, with a total amount of approximately 60 million yuan, including 21 state-level projects taking up 64% of total research fund, which showed a very strong competition of SMU. Those key projects include two “973” projects (as premiere scientists), one “863” project, two projects for National Technology Support, one project of National Key Scientific Instruments and six key projects of NSFC(National Natural Science Foundation of China) as well.
Scientific Research Achievements
In the past ten years, as the first author affiliation, faculties have already published nearly 300 academic scientific papers in international first-class journals like IEEE, TMI, TIP and MIA, etc., and have also been honorably given six scientific awards, including one for the second-grade prize of National Invention, one for the first-grade and one for the second-grade prize of Guangdong Scientific Invention, one for the first-grade prize of Scientific Invention and one for the second-grade prize of Natural Science of Ministry of Education, one for the second-grade prize of Military Scientific Technology Progress and 36 national inventive patents have been authorized as well.
International Academic Exchanges
Projects for International Exchanges and Funds for Visiting Scholars
Talent echelon has been constructed by both recruiting talents and self-cultivation. On one hand, talents from research institutes both in China and abroad (five totally) were recruited; on the other hand, young researchers in the lab were selected to study in advanced research institutes as exchange visitors at abroad (12 person-time). Now most of them have finished their study abroad and become the supporting figures in the lab after they returned.
Visiting and Exchanging
Excellent academic exchanges and scientific research cooperation have been established, including the cooperation in technology and visiting and exchanging of talents with North Carolina State University, U.S.A., Stony Brook University SUNY, Imperial College, U.K., and five overseas guest professors were invited.
Academic Conferences
The lab initiated and hosted the international conference International Conference on Medical Image Analysis and Clinical Applications - MIACA for three consecutive terms with accumulatively 450 people attending the conferences. Academic papers have been embodied in IEEE and EI. It has been the only international conference initiated and hosted in this professional field in China. Some internationally acknowledged experts and scholars made speeches and exchanged ideas, which brought up many new insights into the research and development of related academic fields.
To promote researchers’ academic level and quality in the Engineering Centre, 50 person-time of faculties in the lab have attended various kinds of international academic conferences and five of them made speeches at the conference.
