USC hosted the first workshop on “Imaging-based Tools: Role in Drug Development and Drug Monitoring” last month in Pasadena.

The event brought together international experts in pharmaceutical development, cancer research, regulatory management and non-invasive medical imaging.

“Our goal is to develop cost-effective tests that could profoundly impact the way drugs are developed and the way patients are treated,” said event host Walter Wolf, Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the USC School of Pharmacy and chair of the USC Biomedical Imaging Science Initiative.

The workshop focused on the high cost of health care as well as what new drugs and imaging technologies could offer in terms of reducing costs and more quickly providing better diagnostics and treatment plans to the medical community.

“Imaging is uniquely able to provide both researchers and clinicians with non-invasive techniques to ascertain the physiological parameters that could potentially identify patient characteristics that could accurately individualize and optimize treatment,” said Wolf, who was recently recognized by the Society for Nuclear Medicine with the prestigious Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award for his 50 years of contributions to medical radiopharmaceutical research.

The workshop provided an interactive forum for government officials from the Food and Drug Administration, the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering to interact with scientists from academia, U.S. and European institutions, and the pharmaceutical and imaging industries.

These leaders identified significant technical, educational, financial and procedural roadblocks that delay progress in the pharmacokinetic imaging field.

“Incorporating imaging into drug development and treatment processes could greatly reduce the economic burden of many diseases, especially by achieving the ultimate goal of pharmacokinetics – the right drug, at the right dose, at the right time,” Wolf said.

Participants assessed various approaches to overcoming the hurdles that limit the development and full use of imaging, concluding that there is a need for a collaborative effort among all stakeholders. Specific presentations focused on the principles and roadblocks pertinent to various areas of imaging, including clinical, developmental, pharmaceutical, equipment manufacturing, economic, educational and regulatory aspects.

“This workshop has started the process toward proactively confronting the roadblocks facing imaging today,” Wolf said.

“We are laying the foundation to make imaging an integral part of clinical studies and practice. Our objective is to now create the consensus vision that begins to make this a reality.”

Government officials indicated a need for a community consensus document that fully reflects the issues of imaging, from the state of the science to current gaps to future goals. Representatives from the Food and Drug Administration and National Institute clearly stated their agencies could not undertake this project alone and encouraged those present to create a stakeholders’ document that included representation from academia, government and the pharmaceutical and imaging industries.

The workshop was supported by USC’s Biomedical Imaging Science Initiative (BISI). USC’s Vice Provost for Research Advancement has developed a series of initiatives such as the BISI to address critical societal needs and to promote interdisciplinary research in additional emerging areas such as Biomedical Nanoscience, Future Fuels and Energy, Clinical and Translational Medicine, Neuroscience and Immigration and Integration.