IMAGIO

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.

2023

2027