Research into precise tools for personalised medicine

University , Medicine & Science Imaging biomarkers are considered to be particularly valuable tools in precision medicine, a future trend to which MedUni Vienna attaches great importance. The Christian Doppler Laboratory for MR Imaging Biomarkers, which has now opened at MedUni Vienna, aims to research new indicators for magnetic resonance imaging in order to improve the early detection of diseases such as osteoarthritis as well as the diagnosis of rare diseases or the planning of neurosurgical interventions. The focus is on the translational approach with the aim of bringing new knowledge from basic research into clinical application as quickly as possible. As almost all diseases exhibit an entire range of specific modifications, for example in biochemistry or cell density, even before disease-typical structural changes or symptoms appear, MR-based biomarkers are considered to be highly relevant in medicine. MR-based biomarkers not only make it possible to map the pathological changes in the body, but also to determine the various characteristics of the affected tissue without the use of invasive biopsies. MedUni Vienna's new CD Laboratory for MR Imaging Biomarkers (BIOMAK) is dedicated to researching new MR-based biomarkers and their clinical application: "In cooperation with our corporate partners, new MRI methods are being developed and validated in the BIOMAK CD Laboratory, which will allow new imaging biomarkers to be used in patient care in the future," says BIOMAK head Wolfgang Bogner from MedUni Vienna's Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, outlining the focus of the new research facility.