TeraRecon Inc. said its CEO Robert Taylor, Ph.D. was invited to join the Radiologic Society of North America's ad hoc task force on quantitative imaging and imaging biomarkers.

The task force will consult with RSNA's board of directors on developing programs to help push the "practice of radiology into a more quantitative science," in the words of task force Chair Dr. Carolyn C. Meltzer, who also chairs the radiology department at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Taylor said automated tools could help doctors glean meaningful information from the "vast repository of raw data" provided by newer volumetric modalities, such as CT, MR and PET. But the discipline has challenges, as it has to standardize techniques across different vendors' platforms and validate the clinical utility of quantitative findings.

"I hope that through the efforts of this task force we can find a balanced path forward that will result in practical and meaningful recommendations to advance the role of quantitative imaging both in clinical practice and in support of the use of imaging in research," Taylor said in a statement.

In 2007, RSNA organized the Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance, a group of researchers, physicians and industry representatives that helps promote biomarker science. Its next meeting is May 24-25 in Arlington, Va.

Foster City, Calif.-based TeraRecon develops advanced imaging processing software.

Read an interview with TeraRecon CEO Robert Taylor about why radiology is moving to the cloud.

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