This platform has been created to offer a structured, accessible, and standardized catalog of medical imaging biomarkers. It is aimed at researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders in the healthcare sector seeking objective tools to improve diagnosis, prognosis, therapy selection, and response assessment across various diseases.
In the era of precision medicine, imaging biomarkers play a key role in translating quantitative imaging data into clinically useful information. Our purpose is to classify, validate, and harmonize the use of biomarkers in medical imaging, promoting interoperability, reproducibility, and alignment with international regulatory frameworks.
What is our purpose?
The Medical Imaging Biomarker Catalog was created with the mission of overcoming the current limitations of existing inventories, which often feature heterogeneous descriptions, non-standardized structures, and a lack of traceability.
We propose a unified structure based on FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), enabling consistent comparison of biomarkers across different organs, diseases, and clinical contexts. This approach facilitates integration of the catalog into clinical systems, regulatory environments, and translational research projects.
Through a shared set of clinical, technical, and validation descriptors, we aim to improve the traceability, comparability, and reusability of biomarkers, allowing for cross-domain applications and regulatory adoption.
What is a biomarker?
A biomarker is a measurable indicator of a biological state or process. It may reflect normal physiological processes, pathological changes, or responses to a therapeutic intervention. Biomarkers are essential tools for diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, and drug development.
A widely accepted definition, provided by the NIH Biomarkers Definitions Working Group, states: “A characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention.”
(Biomarkers Definitions Working Group, 2001)