ICPR 2024 Competition on Multiple Sclerosis Lesion Segmentation (MSLesSeg) Call for Papers

We are excited to announce the opening of registrations for the
ICPR 2024 Competition on Multiple Sclerosis Lesion Segmentation (MSLesSeg)
which will be held in conjunction with the 
2024 International Conference of Pattern Recognition (ICPR). 

This challenge aims to address a critical need in the field of
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research by focusing on the accurate
segmentation of MS lesions in MRI scans.

Challenge Description:

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease that affects
millions of people worldwide. In MS, different area of the brain
become inflamed, damaging the myelin, the fatty tissue that surrounds
and insulate nerve fibers. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a
fundamental tool to reach the diagnosis of MS and to monitor its
progression and response to treatments. Accurate segmentation of MS
lesions is essential for volumetric quantification of MS lesion
load. However, manual selection of MS lesions on MRI scans is a very
strenuous and time-consuming task and sufficiently large data sets
with accurate manual segmentation by experts are still
lacking. Consequently, the development of methods capable of
automatically segmenting MS lesions is an unmet need and would
represent a key step in advancing clinical management and optimizing
treatment for people with MS. In conjunction with the ICPR 2024
conference, we propose a new lesion segmentation competition focused
on improving the accuracy of MS lesion segmentation in MRI.

Challenge Details:

    Dataset: Participants will be provided with an annotated dataset
    derived from a diverse cohort of MS patients, including baseline
    and follow-up MRI scans from different hospitals.

    Objective: Develop algorithms capable of independently segmenting
    MS lesions in MRI scans without user interaction, ensuring robust
    detection across various patient cohorts and timepoints.

    Innovation: The challenge encourages innovation in lesion
    segmentation methodologies, fostering advancements in clinical
    practice and research.

For more information about the challenge, dataset, and submission
guidelines, please visit the challenge website:

https://iplab.dmi.unict.it/mfs/ms-les-seg/

Challenge Organizers:

Alessia Rondinella, Francesco Guarnera, Sebastiano Battiato -
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Catania

Giulia Russo, Francesco Pappalardo - Department of Drug and Health
Sciences, University of Catania

Elena Crispino - Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological
Sciences, University of Catania

Davide Maimone, Clara Di Lorenzo - UOC Radiologia, Azienda Ospedaliera
Garibaldi, Catania, Italy

Registration Details:

Dates: Registrations are open from April 16 to May 15.

Registration Process: To register for the challenge, please send an
email to the main contact, Alessia Rondinella
(alessia.rondinella@phd.unict.it), providing the following
information:

    Name of Team

    List of teammates (Name, Surname, Nationality, Organization)

    Team email

    Team referent (a teammate)

    Organization/Institution

Participation in the MSLesSeg challenge offers an opportunity to
contribute to cutting-edge research in MS lesion segmentation while
showcasing your expertise and innovative solutions.

We look forward to your participation and contributions to ICPR 2024.