About Computational Medicine Laboratory

The Computational Medicine Laboratory has two main research directions. These are:
(a) biomedical informatics in support of individualized medicine and,
(b) ambient intelligence eHealth environments

• Biomedical Informatics, focusing on various computational aspects of biomedical informatics, such as (a) ontology based integration and analysis of genetic and medical information for health applications; (b) Grid-based approaches to demanding molecular-biomedical applications; (c) analysis, simulation and modeling of complex biomedical processes, and (d) design and development of novel and prototypical DM/KDD methods, techniques, algorithms, tools and systems.
• Ambient Intelligent eHealth environments, focusing on the development of new, innovative ambient intelligence service platforms for automatic, context sensitive offering and contracting of eHealth and mobile Health (mHealth) services across heterogeneous networks as well as on supporting mobility among users by integrating them with seamlessly accessible ubiquitous intelligent surroundings that support self-configuring devices using semantic agents and tools for ambient awareness and decision support.

The Computational Medicine Laboratory is involved in the following research activities:

• eHealth
• Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery for Databases
• Bio-imaging

We are, also, continuing our work in the traditional domain of medical informatics, focusing on the need to transform the I-EHR from a passive into an active service. Towards this end we are focusing on issues related to (a) linking the I-EHR to external knowledge sources such as clinical guidelines/protocols and genetic information; (b) development of predictive and context sensitive models for clinical decision support for diseases management and treatment planning.

The Computational Medicine Laboratory, been a driving force in the development of HYGEIAnet, is also focusing its R&D on all those non-technical issues related to change management and adoption of innovation in the very complex environment of modern healthcare. The technologies and eHealth services demonstrated in HYGEIAnet have been awarded an Honourable Mention at the Ministerial Conference and Exhibition eHealth 2003, 22-23 May 2003, in Brussels.

Based on the results of its R&D activities, the Computational Medicine Laboratory has already developed a family of products for:

• the processing and analysis of medical images.
• an integrated system for pre-hospital health emergency management.
• an integrated primary healthcare information system.
• an intensive care unit real-time monitoring information system.
• specialized information systems for computer supported co-operative work in the medical environment.
• systems and services for tele-monitoring and tele-management of patients at home.

Personnel: Computational Medicine Laboratory's R&D is carried out in collaboration with health professionals and is supported by 9 researchers, 7 senior s/w & telecommunications engineers, 20 systems & s/w engineers and a varying number of graduate students & undergraduate trainees. A brief history of the laboratory can be found here.