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In the emerging concept of personalised medicine, medical imaging is becoming a key tool for diagnosis and selection of the best treatment for each individual patient. This is an important development for the vulnerable population in particular, including elderly patients. Not only fast and accurate diagnosis but also the choice of a viable treatment is crucial.

See, understand, treat

BRIDGE develops medical imaging solutions to improve the effectiveness of treatments based on state-of-the-art technology, software analysis tools, and big data. The BRIDGE research activities cover all stages, from early development to clinical practice.

The BRIDGE research programme brings together clinical imaging experts, IT experts, imaging methodology experts, basic scientists, and clinicians. Together, we can see, understand, and treat:

  • New imaging biomarker development and validation enables us to see;
  • Quantification, standardisation, and informatics enable us to understand;
  • Image-guided therapy and combining therapy and diagnostics (theranostics) enable us to treat.

Photopharmacology, building bridges between light and life.

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Medical imaging allows personalised treatment for our patients.

Personalized medicine has become pivotal in diagnosis and treatment because it provides each patient with optimal treatment. Our advanced medical imaging solutions not only contribute to the improved treatment of oncological diseases but are also increasingly important to the disciplines of infection and inflammation, cardiology, and neurology.

The BRIDGE research programme uses medical imaging for prevention, early detection, staging, and therapy and, therefore, helps clinicians to tailor treatment to each individual patient. BRIDGE brings together all professionals working in this field, from basic scientists to methodological experts, translational experts, imaging specialists, and clinicians. Innovative biomarkers and techniques are being developed together with just one aim: helping our patients.

  • The translation and implementation of new imaging biomarkers requires the demonstration of their mechanism, the assessment of their performance and robustness, the determination of the optimal way of data collection, and the assessment of its clinical value. The BRIDGE research activities include:

    • Developing new optical imaging agents, radiotracers, MRI contrast agents, and new MRI sequences and CT techniques;
    • Developing new imaging and spectroscopy modalities, including nanoscale MRI;
    • Facilitating and supporting research activities aimed at translating new imaging biomarkers from the laboratory to human application.

  • The BRIDGE research activities allow the standardization, validation, calibration, and testing of measurement methods, to guarantee reproducibility and result robustness. The BRIDGE research activities include:

    • Developing quantitative imaging methodology, analysis methods, and imaging procedures with the ability to extract data from images;
    • Training machine and deep learning algorithms to recognize specific patterns or diagnostic information from a large set of data;
    • Applying medical informatics to combine image and non-image data, to perform deep learning as well as other medical informatics activities such as 3D printing, advanced 3D visualization, image storage, and analysis infrastructure development;
    • Using advanced medical informatics systems to guide therapies.

  • Imaging has become an integral part of the workup in patient care and therapy. Imaging is used for diagnosis, treatment prediction, selection and planning, response monitoring, and the assessment of tissue damage. This technique helps to identify patients who are more likely to benefit from complex treatments, therefore avoiding unnecessary or inappropriate treatments. The BRIDGE research activities include:

    • Studying the use of imaging in diagnosis (drug, radio- and proton), therapy decision-making, surgery and image-guided surgery;
    • Combining therapy and diagnostics (theranostics), e.g. the development of photopharmacology.

Contact

University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)
W.J. Kolff Institute
Basic and Translational Research and Imaging Methodology Development in Groningen (BRIDGE)
P.O. Box 196
9700 AD Groningen
The Netherlands