X-ray imaging is one of the most reliable non-invasive diagnostic techniques currently available in modern medicine. It allows radiologists to visualize internal body structures with very high spatial resolution, on the order of a tenth of a millimeter.
Within this broad and rapidly evolving field, our group has been actively involved in several research topics for clinical applications, including:
🩻 Angiography
Angiography is the gold-standard imaging technique for visualizing blood vessels and identifying conditions such as stenosis, vessel rupture, and vascular anatomy during interventional procedures. Our research group, also in collaboration with X-ray system manufactures, works on advanced image post-processing, combining analytical filtering methods to reduce noise with AI–based tools to enhance image quality. These approaches aim to improve image readability while enabling imaging at lower radiation doses and to mitigate motion artifacts caused by patient movement. In parallel, we are investigating the use of carbon dioxide as an innovative contrast agent, with the goal of replacing traditional iodine-based contrast media in elderly patients and individuals with kidney disease, for whom iodine poses increased risks.
♀️Breast imaging
Our research group has a long-standing involvement in breast imaging, dating back to the introduction of digital radiography and to research on innovative and monochromatic X-ray sources for this application. Recent advances in breast imaging enable three-dimensional reconstruction of breast tissue and, with the use of contrast agents, early detection of tumors, improving treatment outcomes.
Our commitment is towards the optimization of these techniques, so as to provide radiological imaging with the best tools for diagnosis and prevention. More recently, our research group has been involved in scientific projects concerning the advanced applications of digital mammography such as dual-energy and tomosynthesis, also in cooperation with women's healthcare companies for their technology transfer.
Selected publications:
A. Contillo and A. Taibi, "Digital Mammography", in Handbook of X-ray Imaging, P. Russo ed., CRC press, 2018
S. Vecchio, A. Albanese, P. Vignoli, and A. Taibi, "A novel approach to digital breast tomosynthesis for simultaneous acquisition of 2D and 3D images”, Eur. Radiol. 21, 1207-1213, 2011.
A. Taibi, “Generalized subtraction methods in digital mammography”, Eur J Radiol. 72, 447-453, 2009
A. Taibi et al, “Dual-energy imaging in full-field digital mammography: a phantom study”, Phys. Med. Biol. 48, 1945-1956, 2003
📚 Training for Medical Physics Experts and Dissemination
Diagnostic radiology is a cornerstone of modern healthcare and a rapidly evolving field driven by technological innovation and advanced imaging techniques. Continuous education of Medical Physics Expert is essential to understand new diagnostic approaches, optimize their clinical use, and address the technical and methodological challenges associated with their implementation.
🇪🇺 Our team contributes to this educational mission as part of the European network EUTEMPE in collaboration with the European Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (EFOMP). In Ferrara, we lead and organize the course MPE04: “Innovation in Diagnostic Radiology: Hot Topics and Challenges”, which focuses on state-of-the-art diagnostic technologies, emerging trends, and the challenges of translating innovation into clinical practice.
The aim of this research topic is to characterize the human cardiovascular function by developing advanced non-invasive protocols easily usable in clinic and research, in co-operation with the Vascular Diseases Centre of the University of Ferrara.
🛰️ Such activity is based on the fruitful results of the Drain Brain project, sponsored by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and successfully conducted by our group aboard the International Space Station , where the circulatory system functionality of a crewmember was assessed.
In the framework of the project WISE - Wearable non-Invasive SEnsors for cardiovascular function assessment, funded by the INFN, we have been involved in the development of an open ultrasound and plethysmography system so as to integrate the recorded traces with current standardized measurements (e.g. electrocardiography). Moreover, we are developing mathematical models for the simulation of human blood flows and pressures. In cooperation with the CRIBO Training Academy we are also developing ad-hoc phantoms, so as to perform in-vitro measurements of diagnostic interest.
Finally, the UNIFE team has been recently selected by ASI for another experiment on the ISS, namely the Drain Brain 2.0 project for the "Assessment of the cerebral venous outflow in a microgravity environment through the detection of jugular venous pulse oscillations".
Selected publications:
G. Gadda, A. Taibi, F. Sisini, M. Gambaccini, P. Zamboni, M. Ursino, “A new hemodynamic model for the study of cerebral venous outflow”, Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol. 308, H217-231, 2015
A. Taibi, G. Gadda, M. Gambaccini, E. Menegatti, F. Sisini, P. Zamboni, “Investigation of cerebral venous outflow in microgravity” Physiol. Meas. 38, 1939-1952, 2017.
A. Taibi et al, “Development of a plethysmography system for use under microgravity conditions” Sens. Actuators, A: Phys. 269, 249-257, 2018.
A. Proto, D. Conti, E. Menegatti, A. Taibi, G. Gadda, "Plethysmography system to monitor the Jugular Venous Pulse: a feasibility study" Diagnostics 11, 2390, 2021.
Project DATG 2.0 (Dynamic AngioThermoGraphy) 2025-2026
Funded under the PNC0000002 DARE (Digital Lifelong Prevention) project (Spoke 1), DATG 2.0 develops a new liquid crystal system at the University of Ferrara for non-invasive 3D vascularization analysis. Ultra-thin liquid crystal sensors detect sub-millimeter vascular patterns on dedicated thermal phantoms mimicking human tissue perfusion, integrated with ultrasound validation, fluidic controls, and AI-driven 3D reconstruction using physics-informed neural networks. Primary applications target telemedicine-enabled neoangiogenesis detection in superficial tumors (breast, skin, thyroid), offering low-cost, radiation-free imaging beyond conventional 2D limits for enhanced clinical accessibility.
The DATG 2.0 project employs a human-centered design and user-centered engineering approach, incorporating feedback from clinicians and patients to enhance usability, ergonomics, and acceptability, aiming to make the device accessible to disadvantaged populations—such as those in remote areas, with reduced mobility, cognitive vulnerabilities, or pediatric age groups—thereby promoting more equitable access to digital oncological prevention.
Selected publications:
Brancaccio, R., Bettuzzi, M., Morigi, M. P., Casali, F., Levi, G., Baldazzi, G., & Inferrera, P. (2016). Preliminary results of a new approach for three-dimensional reconstruction of Dynamic AngioThermoGraphy (DATG) images based on the inversion of heat equation. Physica Medica, 32(9), 1052-1064.
Casali, F., Brancaccio, R., Draetta, F. P., Miglio, R., Morigi, M. P., Bettuzzi, M., & Baldazzi, G. (2017). Dynamic Angiothermography (DATG). In Application of Infrared to Biomedical Sciences (pp. 191-215). Springer, Singapore.
Montruccoli, G. C., Montruccoli Salmi, D., & Casali, F. (2004). A new type of breast contact thermography plate: a preliminary and qualitative investigation of its potentiality on phantoms. Physica Medica, 20(1), 27-31.
Nowadays many detector technologies are available for X-ray digital imaging. The vast majority of those used in the clinical practice have in common the same operating principle: the signal collected is the result of the integration of the total energy released by the irradiation in the active volume of each pixel. No information is acquired regarding the number of photon interacting or their energy distribution (spectrum).
Instead, photon counting detectors with spectroscopic capabilities allow instead to count the quanta interacting and obtain an information about the energy of each photon. This technology can be used to eliminate electronic noise, increase spatial resolution and take advantage of the spectral information to improve the diagnostic power, resulting in a lower radiation dose and enabling the implementation of advanced imaging techniques, such as tissue discrimination.
🩻 Medipix4 Collaboration and related INFN projects 2021 - ongoing
Our group is involved in the MEDIPIX4 and TIMEPIX4 project funded by INFN-CSN5, which is aimed at the development and application of the integrated circuits developed by the Medipix4 Collaboration at CERN, which will allow to develop photon-counting detectors with performances far beyond the state-of-the-art.
Selected publications:
Biesuz NV, et al. (2025) "Review of INFN activities on characterization and applications of hybrid pixel detectors based on Timepix4 ASIC". Front. Sens. 6:1585385.
V. Mazzini, et al. (2025) “Characterization of a hybrid photon-counting detector based on Timepix4 with a quasi-monochromatic source for spectral X-ray imaging applications” Il Nuovo Cimento 48 C, 244
Velardita, S., et al. (2025). "Energy calibration of a Timepix4 detector assembly with a compact quasi-monochromatic X-ray system". Journal of Instrumentation, 20(05), T05003.
🔬 MuST (Multimodal spectral and phase-contrast techniques) 2024-2026
In collaboration with Trieste University, this projects develops a compact system based at PEPI lab in Trieste, capable of producing high-resolution, three-dimensional X-ray images. By combining spectral and phase-contrast techniques, the system enables non-destructive imaging at micrometer-scale resolution over large sample volumes. The main applications include virtual histology for the study of biological tissues, such as those involved in osteoarticular diseases, and the characterization of advanced materials and biomedical implants. The goal is to provide a single, compact laboratory tool that delivers structural information beyond conventional techniques, while being faster, non-destructive, and more accessible.
Selected publications:
Mazzini, V., et al. (2025). Spectral micro-CT for quantitative analysis of calcification in fibrocartilage. arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.04662.
Coathup, A., Cardarelli, P., & Brombal, L. (2025). A simulation tool for X-ray phase-contrast micro-CT featuring a small-pixel photon-counting detector. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 58, 415102
Fantoni, S., Brun, F., Cardarelli, P*., Baruffaldi, F., Cristofori, V., Taibi, A., ... & Brombal, L*. (2024). "Quantitative spectral micro-CT of a CA4+ loaded osteochondral sample with a tabletop system". The European Physical Journal Plus, 139(8), 1-10.
🧑🔬 CIRCE (Color Imaging R&D for Contrast-Enhanced photon-counting CT) 2026-2028
The CIRCE project, starting in 2026 in collaboration with INFN Milan and Trieste, explores the next generation of computed tomography made possible by photon-counting detectors, which can distinguish X-ray photons by their energy and enable more informative medical images. By developing innovative nanoparticle-based contrast agents and advanced image analysis methods, CIRCE aims to improve the quantitative accuracy of CT imaging and move beyond conventional iodine-based approaches. The project seeks to open new possibilities for functional CT imaging, enabling more sensitive and precise visualization of tissues and materials with potential impact on future clinical applications. The project involves two Italian IRCCS (Scientific Institutes for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare): Istituto Clinico Humanitas in Milan and Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli in Bologna.
🦷 Dental Tomography
( (January 2026) Page currently being update, coming soon 🚀
🔬 Microtomography
X-ray microtomography is a non-destructive evaluation technique that allows the internal structure of an object to be imaged by reconstructing the spatial distribution of the local linear X-ray absorption coefficients of the materials/phases contained within. This provides a virtual 3D representation of the internal architecture of an object from which two-dimensional (2D) cross-sectional slices can be extracted along the three orthogonal planes of an object. The 3D object can be converted into a microstructurally faithful 3D mesh suitable for Finite Element Modelling that can describe the geometry of each constituent.
Micro-CT has applications both in medical imaging and in industrial computed tomography. In general, there are two types of scanner setups. In one setup, the X-ray source and detector are typically stationary during the scan while the sample/animal rotates. The second setup, much more like a clinical CT scanner, is gantry based where the animal/specimen is stationary in space while the X-ray tube and detector rotate around. These scanners are typically used for small animals (in-vivo scanners), biomedical samples, foods, microfossils, and other studies for which minute detail is desired.
Selected publications:
Bassi, D.et al., Palaeobiogeography and evolutionary patterns of the larger foraminifer Borelis de Montfort (Borelidae). Papers in Palaeontology, 7, 377-403.
Romandini, M et al., A late Neanderthal tooth from northeastern Italy. Journal of Human Evolution, 147, 102867.
Monte Carlo (MC) simulations play an important role in a variety of situations in medical physics. In particular, MC codes that simulate the interactions of particles with matter can be exploited to predict the outcome of an experiment or to refine the design of a component of the experimental setup. The effect of changing a system parameter can be studied without the need of a real irradiation of the sample/patient, which can be prevented due to dosimetric issues or simply because the radiation source under investigation is not yet available.
The Medical physics group is involved in various MC studies, spanning from those related to new source of radiation, such as inverse Compton sources, to those that aim to model the response of a detector. The studies are carried out through Geant4, which is a C++-based open-source particle tracking code, among the more complete and powerful.
In order to increase the field of application and make the simulations closer to reality, the physical models have to be refined and extended. An important research area of the group is the development of new models of the coherent interactions of X-rays with matter and their implementation in Geant4. Among the considered phenomena there are the inclusion of interference effects in Rayleigh scattering of X-rays in both amorphous and crystalline materials and the X-ray refraction/reflection at the interface between two different materials. These extensions open the way to inclusion of phase effects in Geant4, which can then be used to simulate phase-contrast imaging.
Selected publications:
Sarno, A. et al., 2020, Advanced Monte Carlo application for in-silico clinical trials in x-ray breast imaging. In 15th International Workshop on Breast Imaging (IWBI2020) (Vol. 11513, p. 1151315). International Society for Optics and Photonics.
Paternò, G., et al., 2018. Geant4 implementation of inter-atomic interference effect in small-angle coherent X-ray scattering for materials of medical interest. Physica Medica, 51, pp.64-70.
Paternò, G. et al., 2017. A collimation system for ELI-NP Gamma Beam System–design and simulation of performance. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B, 402, pp. 349-353.
Geant4
At this page, useful Geant4 applications can be found.
The group is currently involved in the next_AIM project devoted to investigate the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques in medical applications.
The main field of study of the Ferrara group concerns X-ray imaging of the breast. In particular, we are involved in the development of a tool for decision support in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) exams. From suitably pre-processed DBT slices it is possible to extract radiomic features useful for identifying any lesions using a Machine Learning algorithm. This classification can be combined with that provided by a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), i.e. by a dedicated Deep Learning tool, to obtain a more accurate prediction of the potential presence of lesions in each slice and possibly their location.
A further field of investigation concerns the applications of AI in cardiology. In particular, the automatic analysis of plethysmographic traces, i.e. Jugular Venous Pulse (JVP) curves measured using a strain gauge applied to the neck. These curves can in fact in turn be correlated with the hemodynamic activity of the heart. An additional goal is the automatic segmentation of jugular veins and carotids from ultrasound images and then derive both JVP curves and atrial distension waveforms.
(January 2026) Page currently being update, coming soon 🚀
In the field of X-ray imaging, the radiation source plays a fundamental role. To improve image quality, while simultaneously decreasing the delivered radiation dose, it is important to develop innovative sources of monochromatic X radiation. Monochromatic sources, unlike traditional sources such as X-ray tubes, emit radiation of a single energy. Over the years the group has been involved in various projects with this goal, both national and European, such as SL-Thomson@INFN-LNF, Labsynch, Eurogammas@ELI-NP, and MariX/BriXsino .
In the last few years, the main interest has been focused on the realization of inverse Compton sources for medical applications. Inverse Compton sources are based on the interaction between accelerated electrons and intense laser beams.
Our research group has been mainly involved with the study, simulation and measurement of the characteristics of the emitted radiation and development of innovative techniques, in order to optimize the results of diagnostic imaging.
Selected publications:
Cardarelli, P. et al., BriXS, a new X-ray inverse Compton source for medical applications. Physica Medica, 77, 127-137. (2020)
Paternò, G. et al., Inverse Compton radiation: a novel x-ray source for K-edge subtraction angiography?. Physics in Medicine & Biology, 64(18), 185002. (2021)
Paternò, G., et al., Dual-Energy X-ray Medical Imaging with Inverse Compton Sources: A Simulation Study. Crystals, 10(9), 834. (2020)