简介: |
Since the discovery of DNA, identification of the basis of biological and disease processes at the molecular level has been one of the central goals of biological research. Imaging technologies at the microscopic level with optical signals have advanced our knowledge, but visible light is not easily amenable to human applications. Molecular Imaging is an emerging field that explores the molecular nature of disease and physiological processes and attempts to elucidate them in patients. Advances in molecular imaging follow typically a path from the molecular biology bench to the patient bed through preclinical models. Radionuclide based technologies have the advantage of high sensitivity and exquisite specificity, while at the same time they are amenable for use across scales from preclinical models to humans in the clinic. In this presentation, we will discuss the process of discovery of radionuclide based molecular imaging probes and will describe some of the radionuclide imaging technologies that enable and facilitate this path. We will place special emphasis on some of the newest technologies being developed at the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, and their applications. |