Imaging biobanks, big data, and population-based imaging biomarkers

The modern medicine is constantly looking for the link between genetics, etiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment of diseases. In this regard, the anatomical and physiological interindividual differences and similarities, the predisposition to disease development, and its responsiveness to treatment depend widely from detailed informations enclosed in the genoma. The advent of biomedical research promoted the creation of an increasing number of facilities for long-term storage and retrieval of human cell and tissue samples. These biorepositories are known with the term of “biobanks," which represent organized collections of biological samples (usually of human origin), centrally stored for one or more research purposes. Nevertheless, all data deriving from radiological imaging were not included in such biobanks; only recently, some projects have been started up for creating large repositories of image data linked to biobanks, called “imaging biobanks." In this context, the registration of all imaging biobanks is essential, as well as defining a structured approach for imaging data storage and retrieval. The latest goal is the research of a connection between the imaging data and tissue biobanks, providing a deep association between phenotype and genotype, by means of possible imaging biomarkers.