The Germany-wide RACOON network and the Priority Programme SPP2177 are joining forces to accelerate and refine the evaluation of radiological image data by artificial intelligence (AI). The aim is to decisively improve diagnostics and therapy through novel, AI-supported methods. The cooperation combines the expertise of university radiology, research institutes and AI experts to take medical imaging to a new level.

Since 2020, RACOON has been networking all 38 German university radiology departments with almost 400 employees. Together with partners such as the German Cancer Research Center, the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS and the Technical University of Darmstadt, RACOON is creating an infrastructure that makes radiological data both locally and centrally analyzable. This platform enables large-scale, privacy-compliant research projects that provide insights into disease progression and therapeutic approaches.

The priority program SPP2177 “Radiomics”, supported by the German Research Foundation, complements this infrastructure with the development of advanced image analysis algorithms. In more than 15 subprojects, researchers are working to increase the diagnostic and prognostic value of medical imaging. AI technologies and deep learning are used to search large amounts of data for patterns in seconds. Findings from the NAKO Health Study are incorporated into these analyses in order to identify comparable cases, disease progression and suitable therapies.

The cooperation enables the integration of the software solutions developed in SPP2177 into the RACOON infrastructure, comparable to an “app store” for radiological applications. This is intended to accelerate the application of AI-based tools in clinical practice and promote individualized treatment approaches. The collaboration, which started in early 2025, will be funded from existing funds, and the first SPP projects are expected to be integrated into the RACOON network by the end of 2025.

The partnership promises to sustainably improve medical research and care by enabling precise diagnoses and personalized therapies for a wide range of diseases in which imaging techniques play a role.

Further information:

RACOON – Radiological Cooperative Network

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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