Communication with Brain Tumours

Abstract:
The complex biology of brain tumours has been subject to study across different scales, from molecular to cellular to whole organ approaches. Advances in technology has enabled the detailed non-invasive interrogation of the tumour and its surrounding microenvironment, such as through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Meanwhile, techniques like focused ultrasound have allowed therapeutic manipulation of the blood-brain barrier to facilitate drug delivery. The application of diagnostic and therapeutic technology for brain tumours depends on knowledge of signal processing and its interface with biological tissues. At the microscopic level, intercellular interactions between tumour and the brain parenchyma requires an understanding of the molecular communication networks. We would like to welcome papers covering any form of communication with brain tumours within the framework of therapy or diagnosis, including but not limited to the use of physical modalities such as ultrasound, RF waves, and optical signals, and mathematical modelling of molecular signalling pathways.

Scope and Topics:

1. Biomedical Devices, Instrumentation & Intracranial communications

Implantable biosensors for intracranial monitoring
Intracranial communication links
Miniaturized robotic systems for precision-guided brain surgery
Smart drug reservoirs and micro-pumps for local chemotherapy delivery

2. Drug Delivery and Therapeutic Technologies

Blood-brain barrier disruption using focused ultrasound: design and control
Nanocarriers (liposomes, micelles, nanoparticles) for targeted delivery
Microfluidic systems for in vitro testing of brain tumour drug responses
Electromagnetic field for externally drug delivery control
Magnetic hyperthermia and ultrasound-mediated therapy systems
Laser ablation systems and their real-time monitoring algorithms
Optogenetics-inspired neuromodulation platforms for glioma models

3. Computational Modelling, Simulation & AI Applications

Finite element modelling (FEM) of tumour growth and brain tissue mechanics
Simulation of blood-brain barrier transport mechanisms
Digital twin frameworks for personalized treatment simulation
AI models for predicting tumour progression and recurrence
Modelling the cellular interaction in the brain tumour microenvironment

Submission Dates for Workshop:

Paper Submission Deadline: 20 June 2025
Notification of Acceptance: 10 July 2025
Camera-Ready Submission: 25 July 2025

Paper submission

Papers should be submitted through EAI ‘Confy+‘ system, and have to comply with the Springer format (see Author’s kit section).

Organizers:

Mohammad Zoofaghari is a researcher at the Technology and Innovation Clinic (The Intervention Centre) at Oslo University Hospital. He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, Iran, in 2016. Since then, he has authored numerous journal and conference papers and led multiple industrial projects on mmWave sensors. He chaired the Technical Program Committee for the 8th Workshop on Molecular Communications in Oslo (April 2024) and regularly reviews for leading journals and conferences in molecular communications. From 2016 to 2024, Dr. Zoofaghari served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Yazd University, Iran, focusing on communications and supervising over ten M.Sc. and Ph.D. students. He is promoted to the Associate professor in 2024. His accolades include the Best Paper Award at the 10th ACM International Conference on Nanoscale Computing and Communication (NanoCom) in Coventry, UK (2023), and the Best Paper Award at the IEEE International Conference on Communications in Denver, USA (2024). In 2021, he was awarded a Visitor Researcher Grant from the Research Council of Norway. His research expertise spans mathematical modelling for cancer diagnosis and treatment, molecular communication, and signal processing in nondestructive testing.

Vinton Cheng is an Associate Clinical Professor and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology at the Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham. He was awarded his DPhil in Oncology from the University of Oxford in 2019. After his DPhil, Dr Cheng took up a prestigious NIHR funded Academic Clinical Lectureship at the University of Leeds and also spent a year at the Focused Ultrasound Foundation Centre of Excellence at the University of Virginia, USA, as a Visiting Scholar. Dr Cheng has previously served as a member of the National Cancer Research Institute Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis Advisory Group (2018-22) and was co-chair of the UK Breast Cancer Trainees Research Collaborative Group (2018-22). He is also on the Committee Member Development Scheme for the NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Funding Committee (2025-present). Dr Cheng’s research spans pre-clinical research to clinical trials of both primary and metastatic brain tumours, work funded by competitive awards from Cancer Research UK and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, amongst others. He was the Principal Investigator for the NIHR funded PROSSPER study.

Ilangko Balasingham earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in signal processing for communications from the Department of Electronic Systems at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. He completed his master’s thesis at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.From 1998 to 2002, he co-founded and worked as a Research Engineer at Fast Search & Transfer ASA in Oslo, Norway (now part of Microsoft Development Center Norway Inc.), developing image and video streaming solutions for mobile handheld devices. Since 2002, he has been with the Intervention Center at Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway, where he leads the Wireless Biomedical Sensor Network Research Group. In 2006, he was appointed Professor of Medical Signal Processing and Communications at NTNU. His research interests span robust short-range communications for in-body and on-body sensors, body area sensor networks, microwave short-range sensing of vital signs, short-range localization and tracking of mobile sensors, and nanoscale communication networks. He has authored or co-authored over 330 scientific papers, co-founded two companies, and holds six patents. Additionally, he has supervised 32 postdoctoral researchers, 18 Ph.D. students, and 35 master’s students.Dr. Balasingham has delivered over 25 invited or keynote talks at international conferences. He is actively involved in conference organization, serving as Co-Chair of the 8th Workshop on Molecular
Communications, General Chair of the 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Medical ICT and the 2012 Body Area Networks (BODYNETS) conference, and TPC Chair of the 2015 ACM NANOCOM. He also contributes to editorial boards, serving as Area Editor of Elsevier Nano Communication Networks since 2013 and Specialty Chief Editor of Frontiers in Communications and Networks since 2020.

Hamdireza Arjmandi received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tehran and Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2010 and 2016, respectively. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences at the University of Birmingham. From 2021 to 2023, he worked at the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, as Research Fellow and Assistant Professor. Prior to that, he served as an Assistant Professor at Yazd University, Iran, from 2016 to 2021. Dr. Arjmandi is an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Nanobioscience and was awarded a Research Fellowship by the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics, hosted by the Department of Electronic Systems at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, from 2019 to 2021. His research interests include molecular information communication and
computational biology.