Project Information
The OPTIMAM Medical Image Database (OMI-DB) collects NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) images from multiple breast screening centres and breast clinics across the UK and has been created to serve as a large repository of de-identified medical images to support research involving medical imaging.
OMI-DB is funded by Cancer Research-UK and has a mandate to share its data with the entire research community. Research groups/institutions can apply for access to the images. Applications are considered by a Data Access Committee made up of members of the OPTIMAM steering committee, other experts and public groups. Any access to the images is subject to a sharing agreement created in collaboration with Cancer Research Horizons (CRH). Click here to find out more on how to get access to the images.
OMI-DB is part of the OPTIMAM project
The OPTIMAM2 project aims to optimise the adoption of new X-ray technology for detecting breast cancers and thereby to improve the early detection of breast cancers in the NHS Screening Programme.
This is being done by measuring the impact of variations in the physical performance of imaging systems on cancer detection. Real and simulated images of cancers are presented to clinical staff in controlled experiments (observer studies). Models based on physical measurements on imaging systems are used to simulate breast images for 2D mammography and 3D mammography. The appearance of cancers in these images will also be simulated in order to measure the performance of radiologists in detecting cancers when different imaging approaches are employed.
Funding
The OPTIMAM Image Database (OMI-DB) project implements procedures used to collect and store mammographic images for research.
OMI-DB was initially developed as part of a research project called OPTIMAM which ran from 1st December 2008 until 30th November 2013. The project was funded by Cancer Research-UK & EPSRC Cancer Imaging Programme in Surrey, in association with the MRC and Department of Health (England). A further period of funding was provided by Cancer Research-UK with the abbreviated title OPTIMAM2 which ran from 1st December 2013 until 30th November 2018. A further three year grant provided funding for the on-going collection of images and the management of the database was provided by CRUK. A steering committee oversees the work.
The database is hosted and managed by staff with permanent contracts of employment at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Guildford.
