Tumour detection project picks up poster prize

A Cardiff University project has won an award at the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology conference, for a poster explaining their computer algorithm that pinpoints the size and location of tumours.

The team working on ATLAAS (Automatic Decision-Tree Based Learning Algorithm for Advanced Segmentation), picked up the ‘Young Scientists Poster Award’ at the conference in the Italian city of Turin. Dr Emiliano Spezi, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering, collected the award on behalf of the team.

The team also includes Dr Spezi’s former PhD student Dr Beatrice Berthon, who is based in the School of Medicine. Last year, Dr Berthon also won the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine’s ‘Manufacturers’ Award for Innovation’ for her role in developing ATLAAS.

ATLAAS is the product of a four-year project that has seen Cardiff University researchers working in partnership with Velindre Cancer Centre. The project has been funded by two grants from Cancer Research Wales’ POSITIVE project.

It is hoped that by using ATLAAS, clinicians will be able to offer more effective treatment for patients with tumours. The new technology can automatically detect cancerous tissue and assess its volume, therefore offering a more targeted approach.

Dr Spezi commented: “We are all very happy that our work, which has already received the IPEM Manufacturers’ Award for Innovation, is now also the recipient of an ESTRO award and we look forward to further developing and implementing the ATLAAS technology in clinical practice.”