Author information
1
Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples 80145, Italy.
2
European Institute of Oncology (IEO) IRCCS, Milan 20141, Italy.
3
Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), National Research Council (CNR), Pisa 56124, Italy.
4
Hepatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa 56125, Italy.
5
Department of Pathology, Children Hospital Bambino Gesù IRCCS, Rome 00165, Italy.
6
ASL 2 Abruzzo, Policlinico SS Annunziata, Chieti 66100, Italy.
7
Department of Gastroenterology, Oncology and Surgical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua 35121, Italy.
8
Cardio-metabolic Risk Laboratory, Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), National Research Council (CNR), Pisa 56124, Italy.
9
Institute for Health, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Chianciano Terme 53042, Italy.
10
IRCCS SDN SpA, Naples 80143, Italy.
11
Diagnostic Radiology 3, Department of Translational Research, University of Pisa and "Ospedale S. Chiara" AOUP, Pisa 56126, Italy.
12
Fondazione Italiana Fegato (FIF), Area Science Park, Campus Basovizza, Trieste 34012, Italy.
13
Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano and Department of Internal Medicine and Metabolic Diseases, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Policlinico, Milan 20122, Italy.
Abstract
The rapidly growing field of functional, molecular and structural bio-imaging is providing an extraordinary new opportunity to overcome the limits of invasive liver biopsy and introduce a "digital biopsy" for in vivo study of liver pathophysiology. To foster the application of bio-imaging in clinical and translational research, there is a need to standardize the methods of both acquisition and the storage of the bio-images of the liver. It can be hoped that the combination of digital, liquid and histologic liver biopsies will provide an innovative synergistic tri-dimensional approach to identifying new aetiologies, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the optimization of personalized therapy of liver diseases and liver cancer. A group of experts of different disciplines (Special Interest Group for Personalized Hepatology of the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver, Institute for Biostructures and Bio-imaging of the National Research Council and Bio-banking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure) discussed criteria, methods and guidelines for facilitating the requisite application of data collection. This manuscript provides a multi-Author review of the issue with special focus on fatty liver.