Imaging Management and Approaches to Consider When Developing a Coherent Roadmap
Across the research, product development, and clinical sectors, organizations are working to improve their operations by harmonizing imaging systems. The goals are typically focused on achieving:
- more consistent collection, storage,
- broader accessibility of images and
- easier access to image data across functions (e.g., metadata, analysis).
The challenges to creating a solution for enterprise-wide image management may be numerous but they are not insurmountable. The key to easily overcome the challenges is to create a coherent roadmap with the participation of stakeholders as well as system architects and administrators. The real challenge, then, entails envisioning a comprehensive solution for the entire organization. The hallmark of a solution’s effectiveness is that all modalities’ unique requirements have been identified, documented, examined, understood and used as a basis for addressing the common and unique needs of each modality.
The following are several potential approaches for harmonizing the imaging systems across the modalities so that there is a consistent collection, storage, and accessibility process across R&D. The choice of options will depend heavily on the business’ modalities requirements. Prior to launching a search for a new solution, it is imperative to understand the current requirements and technology in use among stakeholder groups as well as the emerging technology landscape. The following approaches are not mutually exclusive, and may be useful to leverage several to optimize R&D’s imaging infrastructure.
- Implement a Single Commercial Solution Across All Modalities  It would be desirable to have a single commercial solution that can satisfy the variety of image and image data management needs of the various domains in research and development. However, our investigation has found that there is no one size fits all solution given the requirements and complexity of the imaging modalities across Life Sciences R&D.
- Extend Existing Application(s) to Cover Additional Domains  Extending an existing solution within the organization to other areas of the business may be worth considering if enough commonalities exist across the modalities. This approach may present challenges, however, since an existing application would need to have the flexibility to handle requirements unique to one or more of the other groups.
- Common Shared Supporting Technical Foundations and Services  Conducting a survey of the technology requirements of the modality can provide insight into how the organization can leverage common needs such as metadata, digitized images, analysis tools, storage, libraries, and viewing tools. This survey can identify how various modalities could leverage a common technology foundation, and services, across several user and stakeholder groups.
- Separate Functional and/or Site-Specific Optimized Solutions  Geographic needs, as well as workflows, based on unique work performed in various modalities need to be assessed so that they can be adequately addressed during subsequent design and implementation phases.
Summary
The obstacles to developing an enterprise-wide image management solution are considerable, but they are not insurmountable. It is critical to have a strategy in place as you move forward.
There are various possible techniques for harmonizing imaging systems across modalities so that the collection, storage, and accessibility processes are similar across R&D. The options selected will be highly influenced by the business’s modalities requirements. It is critical to understand the present requirements and technology in use among stakeholder groups, as well as the growing technology market environment, before beginning a search for a new solution.
Why It Matters To You
Pharma and Biotech organizations with multiple modalities across the research, product development, and clinical sectors, are working to improve operations by enhancing and harmonizing the image and data management aspects of these areas. There are numerous challenges to creating a solution that can span enterprise-wide image management, however, they are not insurmountable.
In this blog we discuss:
- Multiple approaches to harmonizing your R&D image and data management areas.
- The advantages and potential obstacles of each of the approaches.
- The importance of doing a survey of the technology requirements.
To more information on this topic, read the eBook, Approaches to a Digital Transformation of Imaging Management for Biopharmaceutical Research
ResultWorks – An Astrix Business
About Astrix
For over 25 years, Astrix has been a market-leader in delivering innovative solutions through world class people, process, and technology that fundamentally improves scientific outcomes and quality of life everywhere. Founded by scientists to solve the unique challenges life sciences and other science-based business face, Astrix offers a growing array of strategic, technical, and staffing services designed to deliver value to clients across their organizations. ResultWorks, an Astrix business, achieves success for our clients through skilled facilitation and exceptional management leadership across Life Science domains from Research, Non-Clinical & Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, to Safety, Manufacturing, and Pharmacovigilance. To learn more about how ResultWorks enables biopharmaceutical leaders’ success, visit www.resultworksllc.com.
To learn the latest about how Astrix is transforming the way science-based business succeed today, visit www.astrixinc.com.
