Dear-Mama: A photon counting X-ray imaging project for medical applications

Dear-Mama ( D etection of Ear ly Ma rkers in Ma mmography) is an EU funded project devoted to develop an X-ray Medical imaging device based on room temperature solid-state pixel detector coupled to photon counting readout electronics via bump bonding. The technology being used leads to signal-to-noise ratio enhancement and thus the ability to detect low contrast anomalies such as micro-calcifications. The Dear-Mama machine is currently being evaluated and preliminary results show an excellent MTF response. Dear-Mama consortium is made up from six European institutions, the project runs from December 2001 to March 2006.