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Imaging and deep learning: a new avenue to explore!

April 30th 2020

Candice Leblanc

Egor Zindy joined the CMMI last November. With a background in computer science, he specializes in image processing and wishes to focus his future developments around deep learning applications. We have met with him.

Egor Zindy

All digital image processing specialists agree: deep learning algorithms are the most significant technological breakthrough in recent years. ‘We have moved away from processing individual pixels and manually outlining structures of interest, to computers that are able to learn and identify these same structures on their own!’ says Egor Zindy. ‘In addition to saving a lot of time, this enables us to process more and more images, at an increasing speed. However, it requires specific algorithms to process and interpret the large volumes of data involved.’

 

A specialist in digital image processing

Egor Zindy joined the CMMI (1) last November. A computer engineer specialized in image processing, he is especially interested in histological images captured using a slide scanner or a fluorescence microscope. He is also recognized as an expert in sensors and digital image processing. ‘I have taken over existing histopathology projects that involved deep learning, as well as routine missions for DIAPath and MIP clusters (2). I would like to contribute my expertise on hardware and software, and develop new projects such as deep learning applied to fluorescent microscopy. In fact, I have joined the CMMI in order to conduct research on this specific topic.’

 

Multiple collaborations

Before joining the CMMI, Egor Zindy was a Senior Experimental Officer for Bioimaging at the University of Manchester, where he has spent most of his academic career. ‘My role was to support researchers with the analysis and quantification of their images, working together with biologists and doctors. Back in Manchester, I was the only image processing expert on the team. Now, at the CMMI, I don’t feel like I work in isolation, which is nice! There is more overlap within the teams. In addition to biologists and doctors, I now work with a mathematician, engineers and physicists.’

Egor Zindy collaborates with different teams, depending on which project he is working on. Before the lockdown, he would go to the Laboratory of Image Synthesis and Analysis (3) every Friday. ‘Several departments in LISA study deep learning. The CMMI encourages this type of multidisciplinary collaboration. I feel right at home!’

 

Notes:

  1. The Centre for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging (CMMI) was established with the financial support from the European Union and the Walloon Region (ERDF funding).
  2. Egor Zindy works at the CMMI’s DIAPath (Digital Image Analysis in Pathology) and MIP (Multimodal Image Processing) clusters.
  3. LISA is part of ULB’s École polytechnique de Bruxelles, and members of its academic staff are in charge of the MIP and DIAPath clusters.