Communications of the ACM
cf-Developed Software Analyzes Fat in Seconds
New computer-vision software can differentiate between brown fat tissues, which are beneficial for fighting off weight gain and potentially slowing cancer growth, and white fat tissues.
Credit: UCF Today
New computer-vision techniques can give doctors a more complete analysis of fat than images alone.
In 2009, scientists discovered adults have brown--or good--fat cells that are beneficial for fighting off weight gain and potentially slowing cancer growth. Software developed by Ulas Bagci, an assistant professor in University of Central Florida's Center for Research in Computer Vision, and colleagues differentiates between brown and white fat tissues. Moreover, the software distinguishes whether the more common white fat lives just below the skin in subcutaneous cells or deeper in visceral cells, potentially wrapping around organs.
The computer-vision techniques can analyze images much better than the human eye, and the software can read results from positron-emission tomography and computed-tomography scans in about a minute. "These computer-derived results can help a doctor plan a treatment or surgery more accurately and much faster than before," Bagci says.
The software also functions with markers, such as contrast dyes, which can lead to an even more accurate understanding of the disease extent, severity, and cause.
Bagci used similar software to help researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health studying vaccine approaches for MERS-CoV, a severe acute respiratory illness.
From UCF Today
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