Erik Fredenberg

I received my PhD in Medical Physics from KTH in 2009 with a thesis on x-ray optics and photon-counting mammography. Since then, I have worked with corporate research and advanced medtech development at several large international corporations as well as in small startups. I currently hold a position as Principal Scientist at GE Healthcare in a team of scientists, algorithm developers, and physicists who are working on the next generation of medical x-ray imaging technology – photon-counting computed tomography (CT).

In 2022, I was appointed Adjunct Professor in the Medical Imaging group at the department of Physics, KTH. My research at KTH, funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) and GE Healthcare, is focused on developing performance evaluation tools for photon-counting CT, in particular so-called virtual clinical trials.

With higher spatial resolution than conventional technologies and the ability to detect the energy spectrum of the incident radiation, photon-counting CT enables a range of new applications for detecting and diagnosing disease. To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of new applications in radiology, patient trials are the gold standard and the most reliable method, but they are also expensive, time-consuming and should be used restrictively to minimize radiation burden. The objective of my research is to develop computer simulation tools and measurement methods that, as closely as possible, mimic the clinical trial process and reduces the need for patient imaging at an early stage of technology development.