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Review
. 2021;41(2):115-125.
doi: 10.1007/s40846-020-00582-z. Epub 2020 Dec 3.

GliMR: Cross-Border Collaborations to Promote Advanced MRI Biomarkers for Glioma

Patricia Clement  1 , Thomas Booth  2   3 , Fran Borovečki  4 , Kyrre E Emblem  5 , Patrícia Figueiredo  6 , Lydiane Hirschler  7 , Radim Jančálek  8 , Vera C Keil  9 , Camille Maumet  10 , Yelda Özsunar  11 , Cyril Pernet  12 , Jan Petr  13 , Joana Pinto  14 , Marion Smits  15 , Esther A H Warnert  15
Affiliations
Review

GliMR: Cross-Border Collaborations to Promote Advanced MRI Biomarkers for Glioma

Patricia Clement et al. J Med Biol Eng. 2021.

Abstract

Purpose: There is an annual incidence of 50,000 glioma cases in Europe. The optimal treatment strategy is highly personalised, depending on tumour type, grade, spatial localization, and the degree of tissue infiltration. In research settings, advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown great promise as a tool to inform personalised treatment decisions. However, the use of advanced MRI in clinical practice remains scarce due to the downstream effects of siloed glioma imaging research with limited representation of MRI specialists in established consortia; and the associated lack of available tools and expertise in clinical settings. These shortcomings delay the translation of scientific breakthroughs into novel treatment strategy. As a response we have developed the network "Glioma MR Imaging 2.0" (GliMR) which we present in this article.

Methods: GliMR aims to build a pan-European and multidisciplinary network of experts and accelerate the use of advanced MRI in glioma beyond the current "state-of-the-art" in glioma imaging. The Action Glioma MR Imaging 2.0 (GliMR) was granted funding by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) in June 2019.

Results: GliMR's first grant period ran from September 2019 to April 2020, during which several meetings were held and projects were initiated, such as reviewing the current knowledge on advanced MRI; developing a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant consent form; and setting up the website.

Conclusion: The Action overcomes the pre-existing limitations of glioma research and is funded until September 2023. New members will be accepted during its entire duration.

Keywords: Advanced MRI; COST action; Glioma; Multi-disciplinary; Networking; Translational research.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestMarion Smits is ‘speaker honoraria’ from GE Healthcare, for which honoraria are paid to the author’s institution. Vera C. Keil is an invited paid lecturer for Philips healthcare in Germany and Switzerland.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Examples of conventional and advanced MRI methods. Biomarkers highlighting tumour structure from left to right: T1-weighted after injection of a gadolinium based contrast agent, T2-weighted, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC); biomarkers highlighting tumour physiology: arterial spin labeling (ASL), dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC), dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE), magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), vessel architectural imaging (VAI), intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) perfusion, functional MRI (fMRI); biomarkers highlighting tumour metabolism: amide proton transfer chemical exchange saturation technique (APT CEST), magnetic resonance spectroscopy; biomarkers highlighting healthy tissue biomarkers: grey matter (GM) volume, ASL, and fractional anisotropy (FA) [34, 70]
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Geographical visualisation of GliMR’s participants within and outside Europe. Number of participants per European country is given, as well as the Near Neighbour Countries and the International Partner Countries [60]
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
PERT chart of the structure within GliMR. Note the interaction between the Working Groups via various routes, denoted by coloured arrows. Communication between the Action and the general public will be ensured through Working Group 5
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
GliMR’s milestones throughout the 4-year lifespan of the Action, from June 2019 until April 2023. Each icon represents one of the Working Groups: ‘brain’: Advanced MRI biomarkers for glioma characterisation; ‘laptop’: ‘Multi-site data integration’; ‘star’: ‘Clinical translation’. The goals of the remaining two Working Groups are ongoing, therefore, not included in this timeline
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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