NAVIGATOR aims to set up an open imaging biobank with a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) available to :

  • extract gold-standard and novel imaging biomarkers;
  • create and test digital patient models mining cancer phenotypes, stratified risks and responsivity to therapy.

Three highly-impacting solid neoplasms (prostate, gastric and colorectal cancer) will be initially considered as use cases to populate the Biobank and to advance clinical findings in their respect. Noteworthy, the Biobank data model will be highly flexible to ensure its scalability and ability to integrate with other tumour types, other existing imaging Biobanks, and other bio-specimen Biobanks.

NAVIGATOR relies on a strong regional network of Hospitals and University hospitals and Research Institutions, whose multidisciplinary expertise will contribute to standardize protocols for imaging acquisition and reporting and for Radiomics. Plus, it will boost clinical research and data analytics in the three use cases. ARS will contribute with clinical records and data science expertise.

The international actors partnered in NAVIGATOR will support the coordination with other emerging initiatives at EU level, granting the international bases and timely outreach of project outcomes.

NAVIGATOR will deliver proper image acquisition guidelines and ethical, security and privacy operation policies (i.e., governance) that may be needed to establish the Biobank as a regional service, thus connecting Tuscany to the other worldwide Biobank infrastructures, supporting research, offering services to stakeholders, incubating new projects and attracting investments.

Objectives

  1. Coordination and dissemination of the overall project activities.
  2. Design and operation of a Biobank containing standardised imaging data and related omics data.
  3. Design and operation of VRE that offer web access to a digital laboratory where are available data analytics tools based on Radiomics and IA algorithms to test and validate novel or known biomarker.
  4. Collection of quantitative imaging data (CT, MRI and PET) for three relevant tumour cases: colorectal, prostate and gastric cancer.
  5. The extraction and storage of imaging biomarkers with the definition of digital patient models.
  6. Definition of policies for operating the NAVIGATOR service infrastructure ensuring: privacy and security preserving and its sustainability after the project closure.