Better Medicine through Measurement: Developments and Applications of Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is able to interrogate a wide range of physical parameters. Some of these are intrinsic to magnetic resonance, such as relaxation times, whiles others are universal, such as diffusion coefficients, temperature, or magnetic susceptibility. This talk will provide an overview of important quantitative imaging biomarkers (QIBs) in MRI, highlighting their applications, challenges in measurement science and implementation, and the current progress of QIBs towards clinical adoption.

The path from bench to bedside of QIBs involves researchers from many disciplines, and provides numerous opportunities for physics to inform approaches and improve the reliability of imaging. Bench scientists ensure that QIBs can be traced to primary standards, developing measurement infrastructure to establish ground truth values for reference materials and objects, known as phantoms. The Quantitative Imaging Biomarker Alliance (QIBA) develops and promulgates standards-based documents known as Profiles that harmonize data acquisition and analysis. Profiles use reference standards, both physical and digital, to assess end users’ ability to conform to them. QIBA Profiles, backed by sound measurement science, can improve reproducibility of results and inform patient care.