MedTech, the CTAC Medical Technology Branch

Mission statement

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To solve modern challenges in the medical application domain using engineering, computing and mathematical techniques.

Advances in engineering and science have made a significant impact on all aspects of human life and has raised expectations of successive generations in today’s modern progressive world. The medical profession has not escaped this revolution, with the emergence in recent years of techniques and technologies which doubtless could never have been considered a reality only a few decades ago. The aim of the medical technology stream is to promote the implementation of such modern technology within a clinical environment.

The CTAC-MedTech background

Medical technology research links between the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust (formerly known as Walsgrave Hospitals NHS Trust and currently referred to as the University Hospital), Coventry and Coventry University began in 1988. Initially, this involved the supervision of mathematics and engineering undergraduates who worked on topics of importance to the development of the clinical service at Walsgrave, particularly in radiotherapy.

In 1992, collaborative research was boosted by the establishment of a link with the Control Theory and Applications Centre (CTAC), Coventry University, which was at the time mainly involved in engineering research for industrial and automotive applications. This successful collaboration led, in 1999, to the establishment of a CTAC branch, coordinated by Dr Haas, dedicated to the application of systems modelling, control engineering, optimisation, image processing, statistical and artificial intelligence techniques medicine and in particular radiotherapy.

To date the CTAC Medical Technology (CTAC-MedTech) Branch has attracted funding from the Europe (FP6, FP5 programmes), EPSRC, HEFCE, and the NHS as well as private companies in medical engineering and medical imaging.

The CTAC-MedTech can provide a range of research, consultancy and training services. In the first instance, potential clients should contact the branch co-ordinator, Dr O C L Haas.

Application areas

Hyperthermia cancer treatment
Medical imaging
Medical robotic
Quality control and quality assurance of radiotherapy treatment suites
Radiotherapy treatment delivery
Radiotherapy treatment planning
Scheduling of patients and resources in a radiotherapy clinic
Systems modelling and data mining techniques applied to machine monitoring

Theoretical domain

Control engineering
Data mining and novelty/fault detection
Image processing
Multiple objective optimisation
Systems Modelling

Permanent Members

Dr O C L Haas (co-ordinator)
Dr J A Mills
Prof. K J Burnham
Dr W Xu
Dr Kevin Young
Prof. C R Reeves

Contracted staff and research students

Mr Piotr Skworcow
Mr Abdelhamid Sahih
Mr Truword Kapamaran
Dr. Mohamed Sarwar Morshed