•  The Research Center in Information and Communication Technologies (CITIC) of the University of A Coruña hosted the XXXIX seminar of the Association of Professors of Radiology and Medical Physics (APURF), which featured the participation of the Health Minister, Antonio Gómez Caamaño.
• CITIC of UDC is developing new AI models to create prototypes for visualization in virtual reality with real medical data, prediction or prevention of certain types of cancer, agility in decision-making, or early detection to improve medical care.

 A Coruña, April 19, 2024.- CITIC of UDC hosts this Friday the second day of the XXXIX seminar of the Association of Professors of Radiology and Medical Physics (APURF), which brings together around 30 teachers to discuss topics related to radiology, radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, and medical physics. At the opening ceremony of this event, the new Health Minister of the Xunta de Galicia, Antonio Gómez; the rector of UDC, Ricardo Cao; the director of CITIC, Manuel Penedo; the president of APURF, Francisco Sendra; and the local organizer of this year’s edition and deputy director of CITIC, Javier Pereira, participated.

The rector, who presided over the event, stated that “it is a true honor to represent our institution as the venue for this seminar, 17 years after the last occasion,” a time “in which we have experienced significant changes such as the creation of this ICT center, which has the valuable contribution of the Faculty of Computer Science and in which it is worth highlighting the importance of female talent.” Ricardo Cao also highlighted the important collaboration in the field of AI and radiology, “a fruitful association for a long time and now enhanced by innovative tools that are revolutionizing diagnosis, screening, and rapid response”.

Similarly, the director of CITIC, Manuel Penedo, emphasized that “our center plays an essential role in improving medical care through the development of predictive models or the optimization of personalized treatments,” as he recalled “we are witnessing a true revolution in the entire care process, largely driven by the emergence of new AI models. These models are becoming a fundamental tool with which, through the work developed in our center, we can contribute from report preparation to medical image interpretation”.

For his part, the Health Minister, Antonio Gómez, expressed his happiness for his debut in the position surrounded by his colleagues and highlighted that “medicine will be the first area to benefit from the advantages of artificial intelligence, as it will optimize workflows and allow significant advances in early diagnoses.” Antonio Gómez stated that “the main goal of the Ministry is to achieve a digital transformation that reflects Galician values: accessibility, flexibility, equity, and efficiency” and added that “the aim is for artificial intelligence to be useful both for patients and for those who care for them”.

From emergency response prediction to image diagnosis

CITIC of UDC, as a reference research center, is recognized for excellence in the knowledge generated in the ICT field and technological transfer to society. Specifically, AI occupies more than half of the projects being worked on at the center in various fields, such as the application of artificial intelligence to improve prediction and response to cross-border emergencies. Additionally, CITIC is developing new forensic identification techniques, medical image interpretation, and aimed at greater definition of mammography screening images, as well as decision-making support systems for hospital managers and patients in crisis situations, among other projects.

Specifically, the deputy director of Systems and ICT of the Health Ministry, Benigno Rosón, was responsible for discussing “Artificial intelligence in the public health system,” in the first of the presentations that took place throughout the day.

Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about the results of the II National Congress of Radiology and Medical Physics students (APURF) and listen to a total of six free presentations, which addressed various experiences in research and teaching in these areas, such as the current situation of teaching in radiotherapeutic oncology in Spanish medical schools or updating content in the radiology area. Attendees learned about the project “CineM3D: Advanced 3D medical visualization using virtual reality,” developed at CITIC by Ramón y Cajal researcher José Antonio Iglesias Guitián, with which attendees experienced the capacity of immersive environments with virtual reality glasses to gain a new perspective on human structures from medical imaging studies.

The seminar continues in the afternoon with a practical workshop on applied AI and a visit to CITIC’s unique spaces and infrastructures.