Human body on a wire

The human brain is constantly changing under the influence of many factors: learning, neurodegenerative diseases, and natural aging processes. In the past, their verification consisted in post-mortem studies – dissected organs of the deceased were evaluated for parameters such as the volume or thickness of the cerebral cortex. Currently, these changes can be observed in vivo using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Its variant, in which particular hopes are being pinned, is MRI diffusion imaging. This technique provides information complementary to standard structural examination, allowing the assessment of tissue microstructure based on how water molecules diffuse within the tissue. The raw data provided by the scanner will tell radiologists or scientists only little until it is processed and modelled with the appropriate mathematical tools and computer algorithms. 

During the lecture, the author will present the principles of the magnetic resonance diffusion imaging technique. He will also present its fascinating capabilities in the diagnosis and prognosis of brain lesions. 

The lecture will cover issues related to the development of medicine from its beginnings to the present day with a special focus on recent advances in the development of organs-on-chips (OoCs). The speaker will present solutions for OoCs that have already been implemented in clinical practice, as well as those that are yet to spark the imagination of scientists, i.e., chips that reflect all processes in the body. Finally, he will try to answer the question – what prospects does the aforementioned technology open up for personalised medicine, where the all-fits-all approach is giving way to solutions focused on the individual patient and their disease. Is such medicine even possible?