Imaging biomarker validation and qualification report: sixth OARSI Workshop on Imaging in Osteoarthritis combined with third OA Biomarkers Workshop.

UNLABELLED The sixth Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) Workshop on Imaging in Osteoarthritis combined with the third osteoarthritis (OA) Biomarkers Workshop is the first to bring together the imaging and molecular biomarker communities to focus on clinical validation and qualification of OA biomarkers. The workshop was held in Hilton Head, SC, USA, from June 12-14, 2012; 138 attendees participated, including representatives from academia, pharmaceutical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) industries, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Presentations and discussions raised awareness, consolidated knowledge, and identified strategies to overcome challenges for the development and application of imaging and biochemical biomarkers in OA research studies and clinical trials. CONCLUSION The OA research communities need to work alongside regulatory agencies across the world, to qualify and validate new chemical and imaging biomarkers for future research and clinical trials.