Laboratory of Excellence Physic Radiobiology Medical Imaging and Simulation - PRIMES

The Laboratory of Excellence (LabEx) "Physics, Radiobiology, Medical Imaging, and Simulation" (PRIMES) has for primary objective to develop new concepts and methods for the exploration, the diagnosis and the therapy of cancer and ageing-related pathologies. The fundamental questions that are addressed in this project are how to provide new imaging tools for exploring living tissues at different scales with new contrasts and how to build optimized, controlled and safe strategies for irradiation-based cancer therapy. These topics cover by nature an interdisciplinary field and PRIMES brings together the complementary skills of 16 recognized academic and medical partners in Lyon and the surrounding Rhone-Alpes-Auvergne region with outstanding expertise in medical physics, instrumentation, radiobiology, medical imaging, data acquisition and processing, image reconstruction, simulations and modeling supported by supercomputing. PRIMES's scientific program illustrates this multidisciplinary approach by developing cutting edge methods within five workpackages. WP1. Development of Innovative Methods and Instruments in Radiotherapy including hadrontherapy, hard X-rays at ESRF and on-line dose monitoring. WP2. Emerging Imaging Techniques covering new instruments for improved diagnosis and with new hybrid imaging techniques. WP3. Radiobiology including development of instruments, methods, models and simulations for the acquisition, the analysis and prediction of radiobiological data, and the improvement of innovative radiotherapy treatments based on high energy carbon ions, PAT-Z and MRT. WP4. Multidimensional Image Processing spanning new developments in inverse problems for emerging imaging modalities and extraction of image biomarkers involving denoising, segmentation, motion estimation, image registration and quantification. WP5. Image-based models and simulations with development of tools for virtual multimodality imaging, dose deposition simulation, modeling of a virtual patient and treatment room environment. The PRIMES LabEx also aims at developing an ambitious program for education and training of students at the Master, PhD, as well as post-doctoral levels. The PRIMES training project will focus on four major objectives: The development of a training hub offering courses from the existing Masters' Program in Medical Physics and Life Imaging; the development of continuing education for scientific and medical staff; the organization of international seminars and summer schools; and the improvement of Masters and PhD students' integration into the work force, either in academia or industry. Beside the expectation for high-level publications, organization of scientific and lay conferences and patent submissions, PRIMES's objectives of valorization are to increase synergy between methodologists and researchers in health and life sciences and to favor current and new partnership between PRIMES members and private companies in common fields of interest.