Join us for a special outreach event dedicated to medical imaging technologies, where science meets healthcare innovation. This event is part of ICCUB’s commitment to public engagement and knowledge transfer, showcasing how cutting-edge physics research contributes to improving diagnostic tools and patient outcomes.

The event will highlight ICCUB’s participation in the PetVision project, a European Pathfinder initiative aiming to revolutionize Positron Emission Tomography (PET) through ultrafast time-of-flight imaging. Petvision brings together leading institutions across Europe to develop next-generation detectors and imaging systems for functional medical diagnostics.

Registration is required: Event Agenda and registration

Invited speakers

Prof. Georges El Fakhri

Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging
Yale University School of Medicine
Director, Yale PET Center
Vice Chair for Scientific Research, Radiology & Biomedical Imaging

Prof. Georges El Fakhri is a global leader in molecular imaging, specializing in PET, SPECT, and MRI technologies for brain, cardiac, and cancer diagnostics. His pioneering work includes tau PET imaging for Alzheimer’s, quantitative myocardial blood flow, and machine learning in radiotherapy. He earned his Ph.D. in medical physics from the University of Paris XI and trained at Harvard Medical School. Before joining Yale in 2023, he directed the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging at MGH (Massachussets General Hospital) With over 350 publications and 23 patents, his NIH-funded research has shaped modern biomedical imaging for over 25 years.

Prof. Rok Pestotnik

Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Coordinator of the PETVISION EIC Pathfinder Project

Prof. Rok Pestotnik is a senior researcher at the Jožef Stefan Institute and an expert in experimental particle physics and instrumentation. With nearly 30 years of experience, he has contributed to major international collaborations including HERA-B, Belle, ALICE, and LHCb. His research focuses on Cherenkov photon detectors, fast timing photon detection, and applying particle physics technologies to medical imaging. As coordinator of the PETVISION project, he leads efforts to develop ultrafast time-of-flight PET scanners for improved cancer diagnostics. His work exemplifies the fusion of fundamental physics with healthcare innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration and technology transfer. 

Prof. Roser Sala Llonch

Associate Professor, Department of Biomedicine, Universitat de Barcelona
Head of the Biomedical Imaging Research Group

Prof. Roser Sala Llonch is an associate professor at the University of Barcelona and head of the Biomedical Imaging Research Group. Her work focuses on the development of advanced neuroimaging techniques, including PET, SPECT, and MRI, to study brain structure and function in both healthy individuals and patients with neurodegenerative diseases. She applies statistical modeling and machine learning to analyze multimodal brain images and predict disease progression. Her research integrates physics, engineering, and clinical data, contributing to translational diagnostics in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. She also participates in projects on cognitive health and brain connectivity in post-COVID patients. 

​Prof. Elena Martínez Fraiz

Senior Group Leader/professora agregada, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)
University of Barcelona (UB)
Prof. Elena Martínez, PhD in Physics from the University of Barcelona, completed postdoctoral research at EPFL and Imperial College London. She leads the “Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering” group at IBEC and teaches at UB’s Physics Faculty. Her research integrates microfabrication, tissue engineering, and stem cell advances to create in vitro tissue models that mimic native tissues. These models enhance drug development, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine. She has led numerous EU and national projects, collaborating with industry. Additionally, she served five years as IBEC’s deputy director for Training and Recruitment and managed the AEI’s MATERIALS panel for five years.

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Program
 

• 9:30 AM - 9:35 AM: Welcome from ICCUB director - Prof. Atilà Herms (ICCUB)
• 9:35 AM - 9:50 AM: The ICCUB scientific program - Prof. Licia Verde (Scientific Director of the ICCUB)
• 9:50 AM - 10:15 AM: The ICCUB technology unit - Dr David Gascon Fora (ICCUB. Universitat de Barcelona), Dr Jordi Portell de Mora (ICCUB)
• 10:15 AM - 10:40 AM: The Petvision EIC-Pathfinder project - Prof. Rok Pestotnik (Jožef Stefan Institute)
• 10:40 AM - 11:00 AM: Coffee break
• 11:00 AM - 11:25 AM: Importance of molecular imaging - Prof. Georges El Fakhri (Yale University School of Medicine)
• 11:25 AM - 11:50 AM: Fraunhofer Center of Applied Theragnostics (Fraunhofer CAT) - Prof. Elena Martínez Fraiz (IBEC)
• 11:50 AM - 12:15 PM: Application of multimodal brain imaging techniques (MRI and PET) for the investigation of neurodegenerative diseases - Prof. Roser Sala Llonch (Universitat de Barcelona)

Learn More

·         ICCUB Outreach

·         ICCUB Technology Unit

·         PETVISION Project

·         Event Agenda on Indico