Innovation in practice

Medical imaging is the foundation of image-guided interventions. Techniques such as MRI, CT and cone-beam CT (CBCT) allow clinicians to visualise tumours, organs and anatomical changes before, during and after treatment. Within IMAGINE, imaging is not simply used for diagnosis, but becomes an active part of treatment planning, guidance and evaluation.

Modern radiotherapy increasingly adapts treatment to the individual patient rather than relying solely on a treatment plan created before therapy begins. MRI-guided radiotherapy and MR-Linac technology allow clinicians to respond to changes in anatomy, tumour position and delivered dose during treatment.

More precise treatments, fewer unnecessary interventions and care tailored to each patient.

Artificial intelligence can analyse complex medical images and treatment data faster and more consistently than traditional methods. Rather than replacing healthcare professionals, AI provides decision support that helps clinicians work more efficiently while maintaining expert oversight.

A key focus is developing AI that is reliable, explainable and safe for routine clinical practice.

During imaging and treatment, tumours and organs naturally move because of breathing, heartbeat, digestion and changes in patient position. Motion management technologies and smart sensors help measure and compensate for this movement, making treatments more accurate.

Medical images contain more information than anatomy alone. Quantitative imaging extracts measurable features that describe tissue characteristics, tumour behaviour and treatment response. These imaging biomarkers can help clinicians better understand disease and monitor changes over time.

The ambition is to move from images that simply show where disease is, towards images that reveal how it behaves and how patients are responding to treatment.

Successful innovation depends on more than technology. New approaches must integrate into clinical workflows, support healthcare professionals and improve patient care in everyday practice.

IMAGINE combines data-driven healthcare with implementation science to understand not only whether new technologies work, but whether they can be adopted successfully across healthcare systems.

Developing AI-supported CBCT and MRI-guided radiotherapy that can adapt treatment to each patient in real time.

Making MRI faster, more informative and easier to integrate into diagnosis, treatment planning and follow-up.

Building the AI, imaging technologies, sensors and system design that enable future image-guided interventions.

Ensuring innovations can be evaluated, adopted and scaled across healthcare systems.