Co-Clinical Imaging Metadata Information (CIMI) for Cancer Research to Promote Open Science, Standardization, and...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Translational Research
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Preclinical imaging is vital for translational research, particularly in the National Cancer Institute's precision medicine initiative.
• Co-clinical oncology models (PDX, GEMMs) bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical cancer research.
• Lack of standardized imaging protocols in preclinical settings hinders reproducibility and open science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify metadata requirements for reproducible quantitative co-clinical imaging.
• To address the limitations in metadata collection and reporting in preclinical imaging.
• To support the National Cancer Institute's co-clinical imaging research program (CIRP).

Main Methods:

• Conducted a survey to identify metadata requirements for reproducible quantitative co-clinical imaging.
• Developed a consensus-based report summarizing co-clinical imaging metadata information (CIMI).

Main Results:

• Identified essential metadata for quantitative co-clinical imaging research.
• The report provides a framework for capturing co-clinical data.
• Recommendations support improved interoperability and data sharing.

Conclusions:

• Standardized metadata (CIMI) is essential for reproducible preclinical imaging.
• Implementing CIMI can enhance data sharing and interoperability in co-clinical research.
• Findings may inform updates to the preclinical Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard.