Immunotherapies have emerged as effective treatments for immune system-related diseases, such as cancer and inflammatory diseases. Although immunotherapeutics are effective not all patients benefit and side effects vary greatly. Thus, there is an unmet need for a personalized approach. Blood and tissue biomarkers have played only a modest role up until now in assessing immune status in vivo and we believe that non-invasive whole body imaging will make a significant contribution in the future. Although the field of imaging (PET, MRI, Optical Imaging) is flourishing, its application to patient immune status measurement and monitoring has barely been explored. Within Immune-Image we aim to develop new immunotracers for imaging specific immune cell subsets, develop quantitative imaging workflows, validate the immunotracers pre-clinically in relevant disease models, produce the tracers in a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant way, and conduct smart clinical trials, including with novel tracers. To this end, insights will be gained into the optimal use of drugs and a more efficient development of immunotherapeutics. Moreover, the success rate of immunotherapy development will be enhanced since our molecular imaging platform will provide novel insights into patient immune status, which will support drug development and treatment decisions. To achieve our goals, we have assembled an experienced international multi-disciplinary consortium composed of chemists, biologists, immunologists, physicists, pharmacists, information technologists, and medical specialists with diverse and essential backgrounds who will join forces to design, synthesise, evaluate and validate immunotracers and create sustainable molecular imaging techniques that can be broadly applied in the assessment of the immune status and immune modulation of patients. There will be input from patients and regulators in order to assure optimal design and execution of immunotracer clinical trials.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths. Lung and liver cancers were among the top three leading causes of cancer death in 2020 with 1.8 million and 830.000 deaths, respectively. On the other hand, soft tissue sarcomas are relatively uncommon cancers diagnosed in about 1% of all adults, but much more common in children and young adults, accounting for 7–10% of paediatric malignancies; they are an important cause of death in the 14–29 years age group. Interventional Oncology involves miniaturized instruments (biopsy needles, ablation electrodes, intravascular catheters) and minimally-invasive access, guided by imaging techniques (X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) – to target cancer with ablative or localized drug delivery strategies. Interventional Oncology can be used as a stand-alone approach, or in combination with the other approaches (‘pillars’) to enhance treatment efficacy. While cancer survival has significantly improved over time through innovations in each individual pillar, our current understanding of cancer now leads us to an intertwining of pillars and multimodal care pathways: Interventional Oncology is uniquely suited to leverage and enhance the effects of the conventional therapy pillars, while reducing the burden on the healthcare system. IMAGIO will leverage Interventional Oncology in the clinical setting to improve the cancer survival outcomes, through minimally invasive, efficient, and affordable care. We will deliver four complete, multimodal care pathways for two of the most aggressive cancers (liver, lung) and one of the most debilitating when treated with current approaches (sarcoma): 1. Multimodal interventional imaging for fast and precise radioembolization therapy of liver cancer; 2. Multimodal ablation therapy of liver cancer; 3. Multimodal diagnosis and therapy in early-stage lung cancer; and 4. Multimodal MR-HIFU-enabled therapy for abdominal sarcoma. IMAGIO will mature the next-generation interventional imaging across the full spectrum, from pre-clinical developments to impact validation in clinical trials. Expertise on Interventional Oncology and immunotherapy will be leveraged from pioneering clinical research centres and leading industry covering the full value chain of oncological care, as well as cancer patient and professional organisations. Such synergetic partnerships will accelerate the impact of the technologies and transform the way healthcare solutions are delivered, providing access to safe, fast, and effective care. By focusing on the local delivery of therapy, IMAGIO will drive the substitution of conventional higher dose systemic alternatives or invasive surgical approaches, thereby accelerating recovery, reducing complication rates and the number of patient visits.