Medical Physics - Medipix
Academic Staff
- Prof Phil Butler
- Assoc Prof Lou Reinisch (left Canterbury University early in 2009)
- Dr Richard Watts
- Dr Anthony Butler
- Dr Juergen Meyer
Research Students
The University of Canterbury and Medipix
What is Medipix?
The Medipix is an electronic chip similar to the electronic imaging
chip in a digital camera. One difference is that the Medipix chip is sensitive to xrays instead of visible light. What is unique about the Medipix chip is that it can create the first true colour images with x-rays. Thus, it permits us to move from black and white x-ray images to full colour x-ray images. The chip also can be read out very rapidly. This would allow us to use the chip for colour x-ray digital movies or for fast colour x-ray CT scans.
The Medipix chip was designed at CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research) as a spin-off from ionizing radiation technology for the high energy physics detectors.
Who is involved in the project?
The Medipix-3 Collaboration is a consortium of 13 international partners including the University of Canterbury who joined in October 2006.
What are the science and medical physics opportunities for the University of Canterbury (and New Zealand)?
The research possibilities for students and staff with the Medipix technology are wide-ranging. Utilizing the close ties between UC and Christchurch Hospital, the Department will explore the medical applications of the Medipix detector technology.
What are the costs?
Membership of a large international collaboration involves on-going costs to continue to develop the technology as well as costs to set up experiments using the Medipix chip. These costs will be met in part in 2007/8 by a Tertiary Education Commission grant which will be used by the Universities of Canterbury, Auckland and Massey to improve teaching and research outcomes in the field of ionizing radiation in medical physics and high energy physics. Further funding for medical projects will be sought from HRC and for general medipix research also from the Marsden Fund.
What are the other benefits for the University of Canterbury?
The Medipix chip is a highly-portable high-resolution imaging device which can be used to obtain colour xray images. The Department has several projects which will benefit from the use of the Medipix technology, and will work with Christchurch Hospital and CPIT to introduce the new technology into radiographer and other technical training programmes.
More information about CERN