Bridging gaps between images and data: a systematic update on imaging biobanks

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biobanking
• Precision Medicine

Background:

• Imaging biobanks are crucial for advancing precision medicine by integrating medical images, imaging biomarkers, and patient data.
• This review focuses on identifying existing image repositories that meet the criteria for imaging biobanks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and identify current repositories that function as imaging biobanks.
• To understand the landscape of existing imaging biobanks and their characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CORDIS database for articles and projects related to imaging and biobanks/repositories.
• Used keywords such as "imaging", "biobanks", and "repository" for the literature and database searches.
• Included English-language publications from January 2010 to July 2021.

Main Results:

• Identified 54 imaging biobanks from 9272 retrieved articles, with 33 disease-oriented and 21 population-based.
• Most imaging biobanks were European (48.1%) or American (37.0%), often focusing on neurodegenerative or oncological diseases.
• MRI was the most common imaging modality (74.1%), and 70.4% of biobanks were accessible upon request.

Conclusions:

• Imaging biobanks provide a vital platform for collecting, sharing, and analyzing integrated medical imaging and patient data.
• A significant number of biobanks exist, but only a limited proportion are specifically designed as imaging biobanks.
• Most identified imaging biobanks are European, disease-specific, and accessible to researchers upon request.