There are several approaches to molecular imaging, including the direct detection of expressed genes (gene imaging) and the detection of gene products such as enzymes, receptors and transporters (gene product imaging).
Several small protein scaffolds have been verified for in vivo molecular imaging including affibodies and their two-helix variants, knottins, fibronectins, designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins), and several natural ligands.
Radionuclide molecular imaging including PET and SPECT is the earliest and most mature molecular imaging technique.
There are five imaging modalities available for molecular imaging, including X-ray computed tomography imaging (CT), optical imaging (OI), radionuclide imaging (involving PET and SPECT), ultrasound (US) imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [ 9].
Molecular imaging includes the administration of imaging probes and the detection of specific signals produced from the probes.
Research articles on novel radiochemistry, new radiopharmaceuticals including their first biological evaluation, molecular imaging agents including optical imaging, MRI, and hybrid probes, are the main focus of the journal.
The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, brings Piramal Bayer's molecular imaging business, including a facility in Berlin with 20 scientists and technicians, and a portfolio that includes florbetaben, a potential Alzheimer's drug in final clinical trials.
This chapter reviews different molecular imaging techniques, including fluorescence imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), with emphasis on the design of related imaging agents and sensors.
However, many factors play a role in tumor uptake and non-target tissue biodistribution of molecular imaging agents, including blood clearance rate, probe stability and metabolism, organ clearance route, tumor washout rate, receptor binding affinity, and receptor binding specificity.
With the development of technology, it is expected that more advancement will be achieved in the area of molecular imaging agent including targeted molecular imaging agent and multifunctional molecular imaging agents.
In addition, MRI offers the advantage of combining anatomical and functional or molecular imaging techniques, including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI).
