Biomarkers to Biologically-Guided Radiotherapy: Innovation & Clinical Translation of Quantitative MRI
Description
Biologically‑guided Adaptive Radiotherapy (BIGART) on clinical MR‑linac systems are increasingly enabled by quantitative MRI that can sense early biology, beyond conventional anatomy. This symposium spotlights innovation in quantitative MRI and their potential for clinical translation and impact, including quantitative imaging biomarkers for personalized treatment, diffusion‑weighted MRI for early treatment‑response assessment, MR fingerprinting (MRF) for multi‑parametric mapping and clinical workflows, and novel radiation‑chemistry imaging, all ultimately providing quantitative information to support biologically-guided decisions. We will connect these techniques to actionable BIGART paradigms (dose painting, response‑guided re-planning, and biological dose accumulation) while addressing quantitative reliability, integration with plan optimization, and clinical guardrails for implementation. Attendees will leave with an understanding of what is deployable today versus investigational, pragmatic pathways for implementation, and the key evidence still required for multi‑institution adoption and equitable patient benefit. This session includes speakers and representation from both AAPM and COMP, bringing diverse expertise across therapeutic medical physics and diagnostic imaging, and spanning career stages. Platform and vendor diversity are reflected through content/examples spanning 0.35T, 1.5T, and 3T clinical MR-linac and MR simulation ecosystems.