Biomarkers Alliance to Report on Projects

The FDG PET/CT working group of the RSNA Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA) plans to report the outcomes of some its projects at a special focus session during RSNA 2008.

QIBA, chaired by RSNA Science Advisor Daniel Sullivan, M.D., aims to help transform radiology from a qualitative to a more quantitative science by helping patients benefit from accelerated development and dissemination of new pharmacologic, biologic and interventional diagnosis and treatment approaches.

QIBA working groups are planning the adoption of hardware and software standards to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of quantitative results from imaging biomarkers in multicenter clinical trials. QIBA is initially focusing on FDG PET/CT, dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging (DCE-MRI) and volumetric CT (vCT) to quantify longitudinally the effects of novel treatments for cancer.

Among the projects developed by the FDG PET/CT group, chaired by Richard Frank, M.D., was implementation of a novel calibration phantom. Projects with short timelines will be reported at the RSNA 2008 session, with other projects initiated for delivery over the next three years. A report of FDG PET/CT group activities can be found at RSNA.org/research/qiba_announcements.cfm.

People interested in participating in QIBA projects can contact Dr. Sullivan at dsullivan@rsna.org or Richard Eaton of the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance at ric_eaton@nema.org or 1-703-841-3248.

RSNA and ACR Collaborate to Assist Iraq

RSNA and the American College of Radiology (ACR) have developed a plan to assist radiologists in Iraq. The strategy includes providing electronic access to information found in the members-only areas of each organization's Web sites to the estimated 125 radiologists in Iraq and identifying resources both in Iraq and the U.S. that would help facilitate donations and coordinate travel between the countries. The plan also ensures continuation and possible expansion of ACR's observership program, which provides an opportunity for Iraqi radiologists to visit the U.S. and learn expanding techniques and technology. Those participating in the observership will be supported in being able to attend the RSNA annual meeting. Both RSNA and ACR have donated materials to Iraqi radiologists to better serve patients that have been affected by the ongoing war. For more information, please contact Fiona Miller at fmiller@rsna.org.

IHE® Publishes Radiation Exposure Monitoring Profile

The Radiology Technical Committee of the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE®) initiative has published a radiation exposure monitoring supplement to its technical framework, available for trial implementation. The new profile enables collecting and distributing information about estimated patient radiation exposure resulting from imaging procedures.

The Radiation Exposure Monitoring Integration Profile specifies communications between systems generating reports of irradiation events (acquisition modalities and workstations) and the systems that receive, store or process those reports (local dose information management systems and/or national/regional dose registers). The dataflow in the profile is intended to facilitate recording individual procedure dose information, collecting dose data related to specific patients and performing population analysis.

The profile addresses dose reporting for imaging procedures performed on CT and projection X-ray systems, including mammography. It does not currently address nuclear medicine procedures, radiotherapy or brachytherapy.

IHE has also published a mammography acquisition workflow supplement. Both documents are available for download at www.ihe.net/Technical_Framework/index.cfm#radiology. The profiles will be available for testing by participants in 2009 IHE Connectathons.

NIH Funds $33 Million in Cutting-Edge Research Equipment

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will purchase a unique integrated liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance system as part of 20 high-end instrumentation (HEI) grants, totaling $33.3 million, funded recently by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).

The one-time grants support the purchase of equipment costing more than $750,000. Also funded in this cycle were a hybrid PET/MR system at the University of Pittsburgh and an MR imager and MR spectroscopy scanner, equipped with an ultra-high magnetic field for in vivo studies of animal models, at the University of Minnesota.

NCRR is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). To qualify for an HEI award, institutions must identify three or more NIH-funded investigators whose research requires the requested instrument. More information on the HEI program and the 2008 awardees is available at www.ncrr.nih.gov/hei.

NIH also recently added 14 academic health centers in 11 states to the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium led by NCRR. Creating a network of medical research institutions across the nation, the CTSA consortium aims to reduce the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients and to engage communities in clinical research efforts.

The 2008 CTSA grants support pediatric studies at 13 dedicated children's hospitals, expand research in genetics and genomics, enhance studies of behavioral immunology and infection risk and increase outreach into local communities. Funding for these new awards totals $533 million over five years. When the program is fully implemented in 2012, approximately 60 CTSAs will be connected with an annual budget of $500 million. For more information about the CTSA program, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov/crctsa.

FDA Warns of Medical Device Malfunctions Caused by CT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that X-rays used during CT examinations may cause some implanted and external electronic medical devices to malfunction.

While most patients with electronic medical devices undergo CT scans without any adverse consequences, the FDA notes that it has received a small number of reports in which CT scans may have interfered with electronic medical devices, including pacemakers, defibrillators, neurostimulators and implanted or externally worn drug infusion pumps. The FDA adds that the interference is potentially being reported more frequently now due to increased utilization of CT, as well as the higher dose-rate capability of newer CT machines, an increase in the number of patients with implanted and externally worn electronic medical devices and better reporting systems.

A study published in the June 2007 issue of Radiology found that implantable cardiac rhythm management devices (ICRMDs) are sensitive to CT. The abstract for "Effects of CT Irradiation on Implantable Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices" is available at radiology.rsnajnls.org/cgi/content/abstract/243/3/766.

The FDA notes that no patient deaths have been reported from CT scanning of implanted or externally worn electronic medical devices. More detailed information regarding adverse events, as well as recommendations for reducing the potential risk, are available at www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/071408-ctscanning.html.

NCI Program Deadline is October 15

The Center for Cancer Research, part of the National Cancer Institute, seeks applicants for its Clinical Investigator Development Program.

The goal of the Clinical Investigator Development Program is to assist board-eligible/board-certified translational researchers in transitioning from mentored positions to independent investigators in either laboratory-based or patient-oriented research, making them highly competitive for tenure-track appointments in academia or comparable positions in government and industry. Potential areas of focus include medical oncology, pediatric hematology-oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, surgical pathology or related specialties.

Successful applicants will be awarded a 3-year appointment, competitive salary, dedicated laboratory space and budget, a full-time research support person, travel and training funds and access to an extensive infrastructure including research nursing, data-management support, animal facilities, core services and advanced technologies.

The deadline for applications is Oct. 15. For more information on the program and eligibility requirements, go to ccr.cancer.gov/careers/clinical_programs_invest.asp.