Translation of research methods to clinical practice and sharing knowledge are key processes to benefit patient care and to impact society. RICC focusses on translation and valorization of the research techniques taking into account technical, clinical, organizational and legal aspects.

Radiology

Scientific research provides high level solutions that may be beneficial for clinical problems. The Medical Imaging Quantification Center (MIQC, location AMC) as part of RICC focuses on translation of research to the clinical practice by implementing novel imaging and/or quantification techniques into patient care.

The implementation of research innovations to routine clinical practice includes many steps. Technical, clinical, and organizational requirements differ depending on the clinical population and the creation and optimization of a framework in the hospital to guarantee a working process from image acquisition to clinical presentation. As examples, MIQC successfully implemented a 4D-flow MRI technique for patients with heart disease, 3D surgery planning for orthopedics based on CT imaging, and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI for arthritis.

Nuclear Medicine

The completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 has boosted the identification of disease targets and the development of disease-specific diagnostic and therapeutic drugs, as well as the introduction of the concept of personalized therapy. By coupling a small amount of radioactivity to these drugs, so-called “tracers” are formed for use in molecular PET imaging. At the Tracer Center Amsterdam (TCA) of the Amsterdam UMC Imaging Center novel disease-specific PET tracers are developed for early disease detection and for monitoring the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Once having shown clinical value, large scale production takes place at Cyclotron BV (also located at the Imaging Center) to supply hospitals and research centers in the Netherlands and abroad (~60.000 patients a year).

In addition, novel innovative therapeutic drugs can be radiolabeled and followed throughout the body by PET imaging, like with GPS. This allows selection of the best drugs for patients that have the highest chance of benefit. In this field TCA collaborates with innovative international pharma companies and SMEs, to develop drugs more efficiently, cheaper and more affordable for patients.