KTH gathers European expertise in medicine and technology

KTH and the School of Technology and Health will coordinate the EU financed project, 3 Micron. On 27 May a start-up meeting will be held at KTH where representatives from Europe’s most prominent universities in medicine and technology will be gathered. The representatives will meet to exchange experience, network and obtain a summary from a previous research project, SIGHT, from which the concept of accurate medical balloons will be developed.

– The meeting will provide all participants with the opportunity of meeting and exchanging experience. It will be a kick-off for good future cooperation, says Lars-Åke Brodin, Dean of the School of Technology and Health, who will coordinate the project 3 Micron.

3 Micron will finance a total of five full-time jobs at KTH, and funds will amount to a total of 60 million SEK over a three-year period. Of these funds, 11 million SEK will go to KTH.

The research will be aimed at the contrast fluid that is used for ultrasound examinations. The fluid that is currently used has certain limitations, so that it cannot be used for creating images with other image processing methods than ultrasound.

The aim project is to develop a contrast fluid which will function with different image processing methods such as computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The contrast fluid, which in fact consists of small micro-balloons, must also be able to function as a carrier of medicines which can then be released at the targeted area with the aid of ultrasound.

Here are the 10 universities which are cooperating in the 3 Micron project:

1. KTH, Sweden
2. Universitádegli Studi Di Roma Tor Vergata, Italy
3. University College Dublin, National University of Ireland, Ireland
4. KI, Sweden
5. Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori, Italy
6. Surflay Nanotec GMBH, Germany
7. Universitaet Bayreuth, Germany
8. Esaote Spa, Italy
9. Stiftelsen Sintef, Norway
10. Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Germany

For more information, please contact the information officer Helena Rustas at 08 - 790 97 55 or helena.rustas@sth.kth.se.

Peter Larsson