WSIC receives funding in the European IMAGIO research consortium
The European research consortium IMAGIO "Imaging and Advanced Guidance for workflow optimization in Interventional Oncology" is funded with 24 million euros by the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI). The consortium consists of up to 30 partner organizations, ranging from hospitals and research institutions to companies from the healthcare sector. Led by Philips, the funding will be used to conduct research into minimally invasive or early cancer treatment, particularly in the areas of lung and liver tumors and soft tissue sarcomas.
In Europe, about 2.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year. Although considerable progress has been made in treatment in recent years, particularly in the field of immunotherapy, many therapies still result in collateral damage, particularly affecting the surrounding healthy tissue. The research consortium has therefore set itself the goal of further developing interventional oncology, i.e. the very precise treatment of tumors using local therapeutic procedures, as well as new treatment approaches supported by imaging techniques. The three Tübingen institutions involved in IMAGIO are the Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy (Prof. Dr. Bernd Pichler), the Department of Medical Oncology and Pneumology (Prof. Dr. Lars Zender) and the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Clinical Molecular Imaging (Prof. Dr. Christian la Fougère). Tübingen is a world-renowned location for translational molecular imaging. IMAGIO benefits from this expertise in its sub-goal to advance the implementation of molecular imaging as a key component for the development of immuno-oncology drugs and the guidance of immunotherapies of the future.
Specifically, Tübingen will contribute to one of seven clinical trials within IMAGIO with its expertise in PET imaging of immune cells. With the support of the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and ImaginAb, findings should lead to better implementation of personalized therapy management and new strategies in the fight against early-stage lung cancer. To this end, the Tübingen scientists led by Dominik Sonanini, Manfred Kneilling, Bernd Pichler and Christian la Fougère, together with the other partners, will receive around €500,000 in funding.
The IMAGIO consortium includes the following partners: Philips, UMC Utrecht, LUMC, University Hospital Cologne, TU Delft, Radboudumc, Luxium Solutions, Flash Pathology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Profound Medical, Gremse-IT, Thermosome, MUMC+, Nederlandse Leverpatiënten Vereniging, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori, Eberhards Karls Universität Tübingen, European Cancer Patient Coalition, Stichting Longkanker Nederland, ImaginAb Inc. , Pfizer Inc, Universiteit Twente, Nanovi, Turku University Hospital, SIOP Europe, Janssen Pharmaceutica; and associated partners Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.