Precision cancer medicine, which seeks to exploit unique cellular, molecular and genetic characteristics of individual tumors to optimize treatment, remains a critically unmet need. Despite advances in biomarker technologies that yield high-quality cellular and genomic data, critical gaps remain to consistently match patients with cancer and ideal therapies. While ‘predictive’ genomic assays based on RNA and DNA are now commonplace, current methods largely ignore tumor phenotypes differentiable by quantitative imaging. The overarching vision for VU-PREDICT is a suite of quantitative imaging tools that facilitate the discovery and optimization of novel, predictive gene expression signatures; such imaging-derived signatures can be deployed by the greater oncology community to improve the personalization of cancer treatment.

VU-PREDICT represents a ‘convergent research’ approach, which crosses disciplinary boundaries and integrates unique tools and knowledge, to improve precision cancer medicine. Our unique expertise in PET imaging, radiochemistry, mouse models, and clinical experience will allow us to develop novel imaging methods that ultimately match patients with precision cancer medicine.