Murray H. Loew

Murray H. Loew

Professor

Department: Biomedical Engineering

Contact:

Email: Murray H. Loew

Office Phone: (202) 994-5910

loewlab.seas.gwu.edu

SEH 6660 | Office Hours: M: 1:30 – 3:00 pm

Professor Murray Loew's Laboratory for Medical Imaging and Image Analysis develops new methods for acquiring—and extracting useful information from—medical images. The disciplines involved include pattern recognition, biomedical image and signal processing, and computer vision, with occasional bits of psychophysics and statistics. Although most of the projects deal with images arising in a medical context, his lab’s tools are sometimes applied in other areas.

Areas of active current research include:

Imaging, registration, mosaicking, and analysis of images of paintings: images acquired in visible, x-ray, and infrared (1-2.5 micron) spectral ranges are combined to provide conservators information about underpainting, restorations, and other characteristics. Emphasis is on multi- and hyper-spectral analysis. Super-resolution registration methods are being developed and evaluated. (Supported by NSF)

Hyperspectral imaging for verification of success of RF tissue ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). The goal is to provide real-time visualization of tissue damage while performing percutaneous ablation, which will minimize unnecessary tissue injury, and reduce the occurrence of post-ablation AF. (Support from NIH pending)

Development of measures of spatial and temporal salience to guide detection and recognition algorithms, and for detection of anomalies in space and/or time.

Infrared imaging for early cancer detection in the breast: Based on our mathematical modeling of breast thermal and structural characteristics, this work seeks to identify localized temperature increases in the breast arising from an embedded tumor. Infrared imaging is used, and a temperature map derived that will enable objective measurement as well as comparison of the two breasts. Preliminary clinical studies are underway with the GW Breast Clinic.

Education

B.S.E.E., Drexel Institute of Technology, 1965
M.S.E.E., Purdue University, 1967
Ph.D., Purdue University, 1972; P.E.

Publications

J. Ju, M. Loew, B. Ku, and H. Ko, "Hybrid retinal image registration using mutual information and salient features," Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers Transactions (Japan). In press, February 2016.
M. H. Loew, M. Alborz, S. Fan, and S. Tirumala, "Thermography for breast cancer detection: basis, methods, and human/computer performance," Medical Image Perception Society, Proc. Conference XVI, Ghent, Belgium, June 2015.
N. J. Prindeze, H. A. Hoffman, B. C. Carney, L. T. Moffatt, M. H. Loew, and J. W. Shupp, "Evaluation of the variable depth resolution of active dynamic thermography on human skin," Proc. SPIE, Vol. 9531, Biophotonics South America, 95310P (19 June 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2180807
D. M. Conover, J. K. Delaney, and M. H. Loew, "Automatic registration and mosaicking of technical images of Old Master paintings," Applied Physics A, April 2015, DOI 10.1007/s00339-015-9140-1.
K. A. Dooley, S. Lomax, J. G. Zeibel, C. Miliani, P. Ricciardi, A. Hoenigswald, M. Loew, and J. K. Delaney, "Mapping of egg yolk and animal skin glue paint binders in Early Renaissance paintings using near infrared reflectance imaging spectroscopy," Analyst, 2013,138, 4838-4848, DOI: 10.1039/C3AN00926B.
J. K. Delaney, K. A. Dooley, D. M. Conover, S. Lomax, and M. H. Loew, "Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy of Paintings," Technart: Non-destructive and microanalytical techniques in art and cultural heritage, Catania, Italy, April 2015.
J. K. Delaney, K. A. Dooley, D. M. Conover, L. D. Glinsman, S. Lomax, and M. H. Loew, "Application of Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy to Analyze Paintings," AAAS 2015 Annual Meeting: Innovations, Information, and Imaging, San Jose, CA.
P. Ricciardi, J. K. Delaney, M. Facini, J. G. Zeibel, M. Picollo, S. Lomax, and M. Loew, "Near Infrared Reflectance Imaging Spectroscopy to Map Paint Binders In Situ on Illuminated Manuscripts," Angewandte Chemie, Intl. Ed., 2012, Vol. 51, 1-5.
D. M. Conover, J. K. Delaney, P. Ricciardi, and M. H. Loew, "Automatic control-point selection for image registration using disparity fitting," Proc. SPIE, 8314, 14 February 2012, DOI: 10.1117/12.912471.
M. H. Loew, "Choosing an image fusion method for human observers," Proc. MIPS XIV (Medical Image Perception Society), Dublin, August 2011.
L. Jiang, W. Zhan, and M. H. Loew, "Toward understanding the complex mechanisms behind breast thermography: an overview for comprehensive numerical study," Proc. SPIE 7965, Medical Imaging 2011, 79650H (2011).
D. M. Conover, J. K. Delaney, P. Ricciardi, and M. H. Loew, "Towards automatic registration of technical images of works of art," Proc. SPIE 7869, Electronic Imaging 2011, 78690C (2011)
L. Jiang, W. Zhan, and M. H. Loew, "Modeling static and dynamic thermography of the human breast under elastic deformation," Phys. Med. Biol., Vol. 56, No.1, 2011, pp. 187-202.
L. Jiang, W. Zhan, and M. H. Loew, "Modeling thermography of the tumorous human breast: from forward problem to inverse problem solving," Proc. 2010 IEEE Intl. Symp. on Biomedical Imaging: from Nano to Micro, April 2010.
K. J. Oweis, M. M. Berl, W. D. Gaillard, E. S. Duke, K. Blackstone, M. H. Loew, and J. M. Zara, "Topologic analysis and comparison of brain activation in children with epilepsy versus controls: an fMRI study," Proc. SPIE, Vol. 7626; Medical Imaging 2010: Biomedical Applications in Molecular, Structural, and Functional Imaging, ed. by R. C. Molthen and J. B. Weaver, March 2010. 76261W (9 March 2010); doi: 10.1117/12.843927.
L. Jiang, W. Zhan, and M. H. Loew, "A numerical study of the inverse problem of breast infrared thermography modeling," Proc. SPIE, Vol. 7626; Medical Imaging 2010: Biomedical Applications in Molecular, Structural, and Functional Imaging, ed. by R. C. Molthen and J. B. Weaver, March 2010. 76260O (9 March 2010); doi: 10.1117/12.844

Distinctions

Fulbright Fellow: Distinguished Chair in Advanced Science and Technology, Australia, 2013-2014
Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
Eta Kappa Nu
Sigma Xi
IEEE Computer Society Distinguished Service Award, 1984
Lady Davis Fellow, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, 1986 7
Lady Davis Fellow, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, 2007
Appointed as Guest Professor, Changsha Institute of Technology, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China, October 1988, and at Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, May 1991

Extramural Grant Support

"Development of an infrared hyperspectral imaging system for imaging works of art," National Science Foundation

Editorial Board Service

Associate Editor, Journal of Medical Imaging, 2013-now
Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 2003-2011

Patents

U. S. Patent 6,145,071, November 7, 2000 (with S. Berkovich and E. Berkovich): Multi-layer multi-processor information conveyor with periodic transferring of processors' states for on-the-fly transformation of continuous information flows and operating method therefore
U.S. Patent 7,899,263, March 1, 2011 (with D. Li): Method and apparatus for processing analytical-form compression noise in images with known statistics