CHONDROMETRICS SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD MEETS AGAIN IN AUTUMN 2025

The Chondrometrics SAB met between October 11 and 15, 2025. It was a most inspiring week, where science, technology, and team spirit met in Freilassing and beyond.

After the Symposium of the Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften “Leopoldina” on Skeletal Interfaces, and a scenic conference tour to the Untersberg, the SAB meeting started in the afternoon of the 11th with informal interviews of its members by media consultant Antonia Schumann. These videos were produced to introduce our SAB members to the public as regular LinkedIn posts.

This was followed was a reception at the Chondrometrics GmbH office in Freilassing and a relaxed dinner at “Zollhäusl”, together with key clients and collaborators. On the 12th and 13th, gears were switched: Sunday began at the office with “What’s New at Chondrometrics” and the presentation of results from the Expert Survey on where we stand. This was followed by a look at our new company flyer and webpage design, presented by Antonia Schumann and Sharif Karimi, important steps toward a consistent visual and digital identity .

The morning mini-symposium was devoted to imaging biomarkers:
🔹 Neal Bangerter on new MRI sequences (qDESS and beyond)
🔹 Mikael Boesen on contrast vs. non-contrast imaging of synovitis
🔹 Prof. Tom Turmezei & Wolfgang Wirth on quantitative analysis of Hoffa and effusion synovitis
🔹 Prof. Dr. Rainer Burgkart on quantitative morphologic bone features.

The afternoon’s Mini-Symposium II covered automated segmentation algorithms, transformer-based deep learning, uncertainty metrics in automated analysis, lower-field imaging (0.55 T), regulatory pathways and qualification strategies, and other exciting topics. Thanks to Rupsa Bhattacharjee, Jamie Collins, Akshay Chaudhari and Jana Eder for their inspiring talks.

Monday then was about the “moment of truth”,  reviewing the osteoarthritis clinical trial and grant landscape, and defining strategic priorities for 2026. We discussed upcoming clinical validation studies for automated segmentations and potential partnerships to shape the next phase of musculoskeletal imaging.

But science moves forward not only through algorithms and analyses, but also through curiosity, shared ambition, and friendship. The meeting concluded with a two-day hiking trip, covering more than 1,500 m of altitude across the Torrener Joch, from Bavaria to Austria, with an overnight stay at the Carl-von-Stahl-Haus. A highlight was the sunrise on the 2,300m Schneibstein peak, after a 2.5-hour climb in the dark, an experience not to forget.

A heartfelt thanks to our SAB members who travelled from near and far, and to our internal team for contributing ideas, data, and perspective.