QI-Bench began as an idea in 2009. Investigators working together to develop quantitative imaging biomarkers recognized the need for open-source informatics tooling to address obstacles in the way of widespread availability and use of quantitative imaging applications. Early discussions with potential supporters from government agencies along with commercial and academic partners converged into what has now become an active program called QI-Bench.
Building on preliminary work, we are developing resources that enable many parties to better exploit available data, and a neutral broker resource that could provide developers and regulators with unbiased and objective data demonstrating performance. This could allow the biomedical research community, the diagnostic and therapeutic innovators, the health care delivery enterprises, and most importantly individual patients, to all benefit.
At the practical level, our main objective is to build software, with the purpose of the software being to provide an ability to analyze massive data sets rather than the smaller numbers that are typically analyzed in literature reports. And to do so according to analytical methods that are accepted broadly rather than being idiosyncratic to individual studies. Also, to deploy the software, both as a web-accessible resource for collaborative community efforts but also as instances that could be used within individual organizations for their own purposes.
At this stage of its life, the QI-Bench program is conducted by BBMSC aided by substantial support from the National Institute of Standards and Technology Measurement Science and Engineering Research Grants Programs, Information Technology Laboratory Program (ITL). CCOOPERATIVE AGREEMENT AWARD NO. 70NANB10H223 AMENDMENT NUMBER BUCKLER BIOMEDICAL, LLC.