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A number of challenging opportunities
are on the horizon for medical imaging. Unlike many other sectors of
the healthcare industry where technology successes periodical occur
that seem to propel the market forward, these opportunities are
being driven by the migratory advances of academic, public
(government) and commercial research programs. The potential for
molecular imaging is significant. The few successful molecular
imaging agents currently available have evolved from the research
domain. 18FDG was originally developed for research studies of
glucose metabolism in the brain and heart muscle, and is now
available in the U.S. and Europe for cancer imaging. SPECT and PET
tracers have been developed to measure oxidative metabolism, fatty
acid and amino acid metabolism, and pre- and post-synaptic receptor
densities. The ability of these first-generation molecular imaging agents to improve
diagnostic and treatment capabilities is now driving a directed
effort to develop the next-generation of molecular agents.
Publication Date:
July 2007 |
