A Canada-UK-US Workshop: Linking 'omics to Patient Care Through Imaging: Exploring a Global/International Program in Cancer Imaging

Other format

Canadian High Commission – June 29 to July 1, 2011

Executive Summary

Introduction

A Canada/UK/US workshop on cancer imaging, organized by the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Cancer Research UK (CRUK), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), in partnership with the Canadian High Commission, took place in London UK from June 29th to July 1st 2011. The purpose of the workshop was to explore the added value of international collaboration in advancing the integration and adoption of quantitative imaging as an enabling technology for discovery research, drug development, and the implementation of personalized/stratified medicine approaches in cancer control. The workshop provided a venue for scientific presentations, small group discussions and informal networking aimed at finding common solutions to the existing barriers to translational research in cancer imaging. Emphasis was placed on the identification of specific areas where international collaboration would be likely to, not only advance the science, but also expedite the application of next generation imaging technologies in cancer control – a problem too great for any single country to solve alone. In addition, the leveraging of resources would facilitate the dissemination of more cost effective imaging methods, consistent with global health interests.

Key strengths, resources and infrastructures were identified in each of the three countries, and many common themes and challenges emerged. It became evident that there was a genuine desire, among the researchers present, to work collaboratively on solutions to establish imaging, globally, as a central tool in advancing personalized medicine approaches. There was broad agreement that "the time is right" for the coupling of imaging and 'omics technologies in cancer prevention, diagnosis and therapy and that international collaboration and harmonization across the imaging spectrum would be a key factor for success.

Workshop recommendations

Challenges/Barriers Solutions/Recommendations
Standardization of imaging protocols/procedures and data harmonization.
  • Develop international standard operating procedures and an international quality assurance program for validated molecular imaging probes and protocols, and image-based biomarkers across cancer modalities.
  • Develop shared resources, technologies and infrastructures, including leveraging resources from the radiotherapy community.
  • Develop international standards for image acquisition and reconstruction; automated and validated segmentation and feature extraction; consistent mineable annotation; multi-site databases; and effective mechanisms for data and tool sharing across borders.
Complexity of image-guided radiotherapy and image-guided drug delivery
  • Promote global collaborations to benchmark image analysis methods; define and validate image-based descriptions of disease (i.e. pathology validation, hypoxia imaging methods); develop consistent nomenclature, standards and compliance.
  • Develop open-source tools for personalizing medicine through adaptive radiation therapy.
Linking imaging to 'omics
  • Create reference quality, mineable, imaging datasets and international imaging databases linked to genomic/proteomic databases and other metadata.
  • Support joint multidisciplinary projects probing tumour heterogeneity, using novel probes as well as bioinformatics and complexity-optimized Bayesian statistical tools that connect/correlate the genome, proteome and the imaged "phenome".
The translational pipeline
  • Develop collaborations to integrate contemporary animal models and imaging biomarkers into drug discovery and development.
  • Collaboratively develop and validate advanced imaging tools for assessment of drug delivery, drug efficacy and adverse effects, and use imaging methods to establish a higher bar for progression to each level of drug development.
  • Support large international multi-centre trials, with imaging and genomics/proteomics components, to target patient stratification.
  • Create documents with international consensus to influence regulatory decisions on imaging biomarkers and access international funding.
Lack of capacity
  • Support international exchange fellowships and training programs in multidisciplinary imaging, including informatics.
  • Create borderless training and mentorship opportunities.

Next Steps

The funding agencies supporting this workshop will continue to work together and with other interested parties to address the workshop recommendations and identify potential collaborative pilot projects to demonstrate the added value of international collaboration in cancer imaging.

To obtain a copy of the full Workshop Report, contact: judith.bray@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.