Imaging Biomarkers - Future or Reality

Imaging has been at the heart of Medicine for many decades. However, its influence is changing as the need increases not only for diagnosis of disease, but also for quantification of disease extent, identification of suitable candidates for (often expensive) treatment and for testing of both treatment response or assessment of potential side effects for new treatments. The modalities are largely driven by large data generation, either using CT, MRI or PET methods. This puts an emphasis on data handling, development of software tools and particularly (with the advent of multicentre trials) the requirement for rigorous quality assurance of all participating sites. Not all imaging is currently ready for use as a biomarkers, yet many man hours are being invested into creating the tools required to further both more advanced treatments as well as for more personalised healthcare delivery. This presentation will discuss the potential role of imaging-based biomarkers, the requirements and some examples of how this can be applied towards clinical trials.