Medical researchers have long been fascinated by the possibility of studying molecular pathways inside a human being, in real time. This is now possible thanks to the new biomedical technology of molecular imaging.
The technology has its roots in nuclear medicine but also draws heavily on disciplines like molecular biology and cellular chemistry, medical physics, pharmacology and bioinformatics as well as traditional imaging techniques.
Deploying early warning weapons
Molecular imaging allows for the non-invasive visualization, characterization and quantification of cellular/sub-cellular targets and pathways in living subjects. Most distinctively, it allows for biological processes to be investigated and calibrated within their own environment, rather than through in-vitro or ex-vivo cell cultures in the laboratory.
As compared to more conventional imaging techniques, which are based on measuring differences in target density, molecular imaging uses biomarker probes to produce chemical reactions/molecular changes in the target area, and thereby alter the image.
By studying the cells of a living subject in order to determine abnormalities which form the basis of disease, the proponents of molecular imaging say it can be deployed as a far more effective weapon than traditional imaging/pathology techniques for assessment, risk profiling, evaluation and follow-up. The latter are constrained to focus on the end- or late-stage effects of molecular alterations.
A door to personalized medical care
In effect, molecular imaging allows for diagnosis of major diseases, before the onset of traditional symptoms. It is therefore expected to have a major economic impact due to savings on the burden of managing and treating a disease at a later, more advanced stage.
Molecular imaging also opens the door to personalized medical care, by revealing the specific clinical biology of the disease process in a particular patient. This is especially relevant for major cardiovascular conditions such as atherosclerosis, thrombosis, ischemia and heart failure or transplant rejection. Molecular imaging holds invaluable potential in the fight against cancers, by being able to precisely diagnose and stage tumours, assess and monitor therapies and provide extremely accurate prognoses. It also promises to become a front-line weapon in the battle against degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer
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, /in Featured Articles /by 3wmediaDuring the last decade the field of medical imaging has advanced by leaps and bounds facilitated by innovations in ultrasound, MRI, CT and PET technologies as well as dual modality approaches such as PET/MRI and PET/CT. These developments have allowed faster scanning and acquisition of clearer, coloured 3D images, whilst automatic dose regulation for imaging technologies involving ionizing radiation is inexorably lowering the dose to which patients are exposed. Use of ultrasound has expanded well beyond obstetrics, MRI is now routine in neurology, high speed CT imaging is the standard practice in cardiology and PET has become integral to modern oncology.
Both hospitals and patients have clearly benefited from all these innovations, with studies correlating use of relevant imaging modalities in accident and emergency departments with shorter patient waiting times and fewer hospital admissions. In the case of inpatients, use of medical imaging has been correlated with shorter hospital stays, a reduced need for exploratory surgery and a decline in mortality. Sadly, though, as financial problems continue to affect much of Europe as well as the US and Japan, the increasing costs incurred for medical imaging technology are becoming economically unsustainable. Is it possible to reduce these costs yet continue to deliver quality healthcare?
The purchase of refurbished rather than new equipment is increasingly becoming a prudent way for hospitals and clinics to reduce costs in the developed as well as less developed countries. Because technological advances have been so swift, larger (and wealthier) institutions may replace their quality MRI or CT systems with even more up to date models and
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, /in Featured Articles /by 3wmediaMedical researchers have long been fascinated by the possibility of studying molecular pathways inside a human being, in real time. This is now possible thanks to the new biomedical technology of molecular imaging.
The technology has its roots in nuclear medicine but also draws heavily on disciplines like molecular biology and cellular chemistry, medical physics, pharmacology and bioinformatics as well as traditional imaging techniques.
Deploying early warning weapons
Molecular imaging allows for the non-invasive visualization, characterization and quantification of cellular/sub-cellular targets and pathways in living subjects. Most distinctively, it allows for biological processes to be investigated and calibrated within their own environment, rather than through in-vitro or ex-vivo cell cultures in the laboratory.
As compared to more conventional imaging techniques, which are based on measuring differences in target density, molecular imaging uses biomarker probes to produce chemical reactions/molecular changes in the target area, and thereby alter the image.
By studying the cells of a living subject in order to determine abnormalities which form the basis of disease, the proponents of molecular imaging say it can be deployed as a far more effective weapon than traditional imaging/pathology techniques for assessment, risk profiling, evaluation and follow-up. The latter are constrained to focus on the end- or late-stage effects of molecular alterations.
A door to personalized medical care
In effect, molecular imaging allows for diagnosis of major diseases, before the onset of traditional symptoms. It is therefore expected to have a major economic impact due to savings on the burden of managing and treating a disease at a later, more advanced stage.
Molecular imaging also opens the door to personalized medical care, by revealing the specific clinical biology of the disease process in a particular patient. This is especially relevant for major cardiovascular conditions such as atherosclerosis, thrombosis, ischemia and heart failure or transplant rejection. Molecular imaging holds invaluable potential in the fight against cancers, by being able to precisely diagnose and stage tumours, assess and monitor therapies and provide extremely accurate prognoses. It also promises to become a front-line weapon in the battle against degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer
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