The document summarizes the mission and activities of the Fondazione International Center of Computational Neurophotonics (ICON). ICON is a non-profit foundation that uses optical imaging technologies and computational modeling to study connectomics, the mapping of neuronal connections in the brain. Its goals are to advance connectomics science and apply this knowledge to problems in complex systems and networks. Current projects include analyzing neuronal networks, developing AI for medical diagnosis, and collaborating on the Human Brain Project.

1. FONDAZIONE
International Center of Computational
Neurophotonics
Maria Chiara Pettenati, Program Manager
ICOST 2012 @ Artimino, Italy

2. Fondazione per la Laboratorio Fondazione IBM
Ricerca e Europeo di Italia (FIMB)
Innovazione Spettroscopie non
dell‟Università di Lineari
Firenze (FRI)
Founders

3. Human Connectome
1011 Neurons
1015 Connections

4. The connectomics challenge
• Build models to simulate and understand the human brain in terms of
• Links
Structure
• Elements types
Functionnality
• How the signals
propagate
Plasticity
• Capacity to react to an
external perturbation

5. 302 neurons
C. Elegans
www.wormatlas.org

6. ICON‟s
Mission • Use opitcal imaging technologies
and distributed computational
intelligence facilities to contribute to
Non profit the science of “connectomics”
foundation
• Apply of the knowledge derived
from the connectomics to solve
problems in:
• Complex & distributed systems

7. ICON‟s activities
Technology
transfer
Applied • Complex &
distributed
research networks
Fundamental • connectomics
research

8. FOUNDATION
Learning from the brain
Current activities

9. COMPUTER AIDED DIAGNOSIS AI
TO SUPPORT HEART
FAILURE
TELECARE SERVICES
In collaboration with
DET (Electronics and Telecommunications Dept.) Faculty of Engineering,
University of Firenze
&
Cardiology, Hospital Santa Maria Nuova, Firenze

11. APIA
ANATOMIC PATHOLOGIST INTELLIGENT
ASSISTANT
APIA (Anatomic Pathologist Intelligent Assistant) is a two-years project
recently funded by Ente Cassa di Risparmio.
APIA intelligent system aims at performing an automatic pre-screening
of high resolution digital images of urine cytology to detect the
presence of cancerous cells.
This project is participated by Sardegna Ricerche, IBM competence
center Cagliari and Azienda ospedaliera universitaria di Firenze.

12. BIG
DATA
ANALYTICS
Data processing, data mining,
knowledge
extraction/acceleration,
stream computing, DeepQA
(Watson)
Connectome Project
(consorzio connettoma)
Cardiology (Heart Failure
Prediction)
Neuro-omics (Besta)
Human Brain Project
Pharmaceutical data
(Novartis)

13. „S NETWORK

14. ICON‟s international nework
ICON is coordinating a consortium on the connectome
reconstruction (CINECA and other universities)
LENS is Co-director of the pillar neuroscience and WP Leader
of the Imaging technologies of the Human Brain Project (HBP)
(sponsorship of Cineca for supercomputing and repository
in the HBP)
LENS is a European facility of EurobioImaging
LENS is a facility of Laserlab Europe and is coordinating the
european network of facilities in bio-imaging

15. ICON‟s national nework • Negentis
Enterprises • Novartis
• I+
• CINECA
• ISTITUTO BESTA
• Regione Toscana
Organizations
/centers • Regione Abruzzo
• Ospedale Santa Maria
Nuova
• Ospedale Careggi
• Neurobio@UNIFI
• DET@UNIFI
• DSI@UNIFI
Universities • UCBM
• UniFe
• UniMORE
• ICT
• Life Science
Poles
• Energia
• Polis

16. International Center of Computational
Neurophotonics
Maria Chiara Pettenati, Program Manager
mc.pettenati@iconfoundation.net
Artimino June 2012