NEWS BRIEFS

Scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory are using software developed by Eastman Kodak Company’s Research Systems Inc. unit to study the workings of the human brain, including efforts to better understand and treat mental disorders.

Neuroimaging researchers involved in the lab’s Human Brain Project are using RSI’s patented IDL Software for basic brain research and to develop a new software tool to view and analyze data obtained through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). RSI’s IDL software lets scientists extract information from medical images, which is then analyzed for any links to mental illness.

The Human Brain Project is dedicated to noninvasive neuroimaging research to understand general brain function and to aid clinical applications, including neurosurgery planning, epilepsy and stroke recovery. A central goal is to develop software tools to help advance the understanding and treatment of mental disorders.

“The use of RSI’s IDL Software to help capture, extract and analyze medical image data for brain research is an excellent example of infoimaging,” said Bruce Wald, General Manager, Image Information Solutions, and Vice President, Commercial & Government Systems, Eastman Kodak Company. “Images are a powerful source of information, and we are helping people to harness that power.”

Infoimaging is a $385 billion industry created by the convergence of imaging science and information technology. It is composed of imaging devices, infrastructure and services and media, including RSI’s IDL software.

According to Doug Ranken, a researcher at the New Mexico-based lab, the use of IDL Software has been instrumental in the development of the lab’s non- invasive brain imaging software, called MRIVIEW.

“A large part of my work has been the continued development of neuroimaging software in IDL Software,” said Ranken, a technical staff member at LANL. “IDL Software provides the most advanced set of data analysis and visualization tools available, making it the ideal environment for developing our neuroimaging research software.”

Ranken selected IDL Software to help develop MRIVIEW software because of its ability to handle the extremely large, multi-format files associated with medical image data. IDL software allows researchers to quickly display and visualize the data in meaningful ways. Ranken also cited other benefits of IDL Software, including the capability to integrate complex data analyses with methods to present high-quality 3D graphics.

Ranken began using IDL Software in 1990 to map locations of brain activity obtained using magnetoencephalography onto brain anatomy and then display the data in a visual format. Today, he uses IDL Software for a number of other research applications to help neuroscientists, physicists, computer scientists, and other neuroimaging researchers better analyze and understand brain-imaging data.

More information about MRIVIEW can be found at the following Web site: http://www.lanl.gov/p/p21/mriview.shtml.

IDL, the Interactive Data Language, is the ideal software for data analysis, visualization and cross-platform application development. IDL Software includes a rich suite of infoimaging features, including mathematics, statistics, graphics, image processing, mapping and general data manipulation. The IDL Software environment allows researchers, scientists and technical professionals the ability to create robust data visualization and analysis solutions in a fraction of the time it would require using C/C++ or other traditional programming environments. IDL Software provides users the control and flexibility of a language with the convenience of a pre-packaged application. IDL Software is the preferred visualization and analysis tool at numerous government, academic, commercial and research institutions worldwide, and is a valuable asset for on-going work in almost any technical field.

About Eastman Kodak Company and infoimaging

Kodak is the leader in helping people take, share, enhance, preserve, print and enjoy pictures for memories, for information, for entertainment. The company is a major participant in infoimaging a $385 billion industry composed of devices (digital cameras, scanners, copiers), infrastructure (online networks and specialized imaging software), and services and media (film and paper, online photo storage, CDs). Kodak harnesses its technology, market reach and a host of industry partnerships to provide innovative products and services for customers who need the information-rich content that images contain. The company, with sales last year of $13.2 billion, is organized into four major businesses: Photography, providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services; Commercial Imaging, offering image capture, output and storage products and services to businesses and government; Components, delivering flat-panel displays, optics and sensors to original equipment manufacturers; and Health, supplying the health-care industry with traditional and digital image capture and output products and services.

About RSI

Research Systems, Inc. (RSI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Eastman Kodak Company and provides high-performance software solutions that help scientists, engineers, researchers and medical professionals turn complex data into useful information. RSI’s 150,000 customers from over 80 countries use RSI technology to visualize and analyze large, complex sets of data and develop, deploy and manage imaging applications. The company’s solutions are used in diverse industries including medicine, remote sensing, engineering, earth sciences, aerospace and defense, oil and gas exploration and biotechnology. Customized consulting, on-site training and technical support services complement RSI’s suite of software solutions. Founded in 1977, RSI is Boulder, Colo.-based and has offices in France, Italy and the United Kingdom. More information can be found at http://www.RSInc.com.

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