BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:IEEE vTools.Events//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Bogota BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20380118T221407 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=3MO;BYMONTH=1 TZNAME:-05 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:19930206T230000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=1SA;BYMONTH=2 TZNAME:-05 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20251217T134948Z UID:04518949-826A-4AD8-A7ED-4FF19EE86AD6 DTSTART;TZID=America/Bogota:20251211T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Bogota:20251211T163000 DESCRIPTION:Microwaves are no longer confined to communication and radar— they are increasingly being harnessed to probe the human body. Their abili ty to safely\, non-ionizing\, and non-destructively penetrate biological t issues makes them powerful tools for medical diagnostics and monitoring. I n recent years\, near-field microwave imaging and sensing have emerged as promising techniques that blend electromagnetic theory\, antenna design\, and advanced signal processing with clinical relevance. This talk will exp lore how near-field microwave systems can “see” beyond the surface—d etecting\, classifying\, and monitoring pathological conditions through su btle dielectric contrasts in biological tissues.\n\nAt the heart of this t echnology lies a simple yet powerful idea: the dielectric properties of ti ssues change with their physiological state. By illuminating a region of i nterest with low-power microwaves (typically 1–15 GHz) and measuring the back-scattered signals\, it is possible to reconstruct images or infer fu nctional parameters that reveal disease-related anomalies. Such methods pr omise cost-effective\, portable\, and accessible alternatives—or complem ents—to existing modalities like MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT (computed tomography)\, particularly in contexts where those technologies are impractical or unavailable.\n\nAfter introducing the fundamentals of n ear-field microwave interaction with biological media and the role of ante nnas as both emitters and sensors\, the talk will highlight several frontl ine applications\, including brain stroke diagnosis and monitoring\, and e arly detection of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease\, using both imaging and sensing approaches. Beyond neurological disorders\, micro wave near-field systems are showing promise for other medical applications \, including breast cancer screening\, glucose monitoring\, and image-guid ed thermal therapies. Each application demands a careful balance between e lectromagnetic design\, imaging algorithms\, and clinical usability—high lighting the interdisciplinary nature of this research field.\n\nThe talk will conclude by discussing current challenges and future perspectives: th e need for standardized phantoms and datasets\, the integration of artific ial intelligence for real-time diagnostics\, and the translation of labora tory prototypes into clinically validated tools. As young engineers and sc ientists\, we stand at the intersection of electromagnetics\, data science \, and medicine—fields that\, when combined\, hold the potential to resh ape how we perceive and monitor the human body. Near-field microwave imagi ng exemplifies this convergence\, transforming antennas and sensors into g ateways for medical innovation.\n\nSpeaker(s): David Rodriguez\n\nRoom: Sa lon 201 - Sala FIUN\, Bldg: Edificio 411\, Universidad Nacional de Colombi a\, Bogota\, Distrito Capital de Bogota\, Colombia\, 110311 LOCATION:Room: Salon 201 - Sala FIUN\, Bldg: Edificio 411\, Universidad Nac ional de Colombia\, Bogota\, Distrito Capital de Bogota\, Colombia\, 11031 1 ORGANIZER:nmorap@unal.edu.co SEQUENCE:13 SUMMARY:Near-Field Microwave Imaging and Sensing for Medical Applications: Challenges and Opportunities URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/521325 X-ALT-DESC:Description: <br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0c m\; text-align: justify\; line-height: normal\;"><span lang="EN-US" style= "font-family: 'Times New Roman'\,serif\; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times N ew Roman'\; color: #0e101a\; mso-font-kerning: 0pt\; mso-ligatures: none\; ">Microwaves are no longer confined to communication and radar&mdash\;they are increasingly being harnessed to probe the human body. Their ability t o safely\, non-ionizing\, and non-destructively penetrate biological tissu es makes them powerful tools for medical diagnostics and monitoring. In re cent years\, near-field microwave imaging and sensing have emerged as prom ising techniques that blend electromagnetic theory\, antenna design\, and advanced signal processing with clinical relevance. This talk will explore how near-field microwave systems can &ldquo\;see&rdquo\; beyond the surfa ce&mdash\;detecting\, classifying\, and monitoring pathological conditions through subtle dielectric contrasts in biological tissues.</span></p>\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm\; text-align: justify\; line- height: normal\;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman' \,serif\; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'\; color: #0e101a\; ms o-font-kerning: 0pt\; mso-ligatures: none\;">&nbsp\;</span></p>\n<p class= "MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm\; text-align: justify\; line-height: normal\;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'\,serif \; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'\; color: #0e101a\; mso-font- kerning: 0pt\; mso-ligatures: none\;">At the heart of this technology lies a simple yet powerful idea: the dielectric properties of tissues change w ith their physiological state. By illuminating a region of interest with l ow-power microwaves (typically 1&ndash\;15 GHz) and measuring the back-sca ttered signals\, it is possible to reconstruct images or infer functional parameters that reveal disease-related anomalies. Such methods promise cos t-effective\, portable\, and accessible alternatives&mdash\;or complements &mdash\;to existing modalities like MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and C T(computed tomography)\, particularly in contexts where those technologies are impractical or unavailable.</span></p>\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="m argin-bottom: 0cm\; text-align: justify\; line-height: normal\;"><span lan g="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'\,serif\; mso-fareast-font- family: 'Times New Roman'\; color: #0e101a\; mso-font-kerning: 0pt\; mso-l igatures: none\;">&nbsp\;</span></p>\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-b ottom: 0cm\; text-align: justify\; line-height: normal\;"><span lang="EN-U S" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'\,serif\; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'\; color: #0e101a\; mso-font-kerning: 0pt\; mso-ligature s: none\;">After introducing the fundamentals of near-field microwave inte raction with biological media and the role of antennas as both emitters an d sensors\, the talk will highlight several frontline applications\, inclu ding&nbsp\;<strong>brain stroke </strong><em>diagnosis and monitoring</em> \, and <em>early detection</em> of <strong>Alzheimer&rsquo\;s disease </st rong>and <strong>Parkinson&rsquo\;s disease</strong>\, using both imaging and sensing approaches. Beyond neurological disorders\, <strong>microwave near-field systems</strong> are showing promise for other medical applicat ions\, including<strong> breast cancer screening\, glucose monitoring</str ong>\, and <strong>image-guided thermal therapies</strong>. Each applicati on demands a careful balance between electromagnetic design\, imaging algo rithms\, and clinical usability&mdash\;highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of this research field.</span></p>\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="mar gin-bottom: 0cm\; text-align: justify\; line-height: normal\;"><span lang= "EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'\,serif\; mso-fareast-font-fa mily: 'Times New Roman'\; color: #0e101a\; mso-font-kerning: 0pt\; mso-lig atures: none\;">&nbsp\;</span></p>\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bot tom: 0cm\; text-align: justify\; line-height: normal\;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'\,serif\; mso-fareast-font-family: ' Times New Roman'\; color: #0e101a\; mso-font-kerning: 0pt\; mso-ligatures: none\;">The talk will conclude by discussing current challenges and futur e perspectives: the need for standardized phantoms and datasets\, the inte gration of artificial intelligence for real-time diagnostics\, and the tra nslation of laboratory prototypes into clinically validated tools. As youn g engineers and scientists\, we stand at the intersection of electromagnet ics\, data science\, and medicine&mdash\;fields that\, when combined\, hol d the potential to reshape how we perceive and monitor the human body. Nea r-field microwave imaging exemplifies this convergence\, transforming ante nnas and sensors into gateways for medical innovation.</span></p>\n<p clas s="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto\; mso-margin-bottom-alt: aut o\; text-align: justify\; line-height: normal\;"><span lang="EN-US" style= "font-family: 'Times New Roman'\,serif\; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times N ew Roman'\; mso-font-kerning: 0pt\; mso-ligatures: none\;">&nbsp\;</span>< /p> END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR