Table 1.
Various techniques are available for molecular imaging in disease and drug development.
| Imaging | Sensitivity | Probe | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positron-emission tomography (PET) | pm | Positron emitting radiotracer | Cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders, any abnormalities within the body |
| 15O, 11C, 18F, 76Br | |||
| Single-photon-emission tomography (SPECT) | pm | Gamma rays emitting radiotracer | Cancers, dopamine transporters (DAT), neurological diseases, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics |
| 123I, 99mTc | |||
| Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) | µm | Para- or superpara-magnetic radiotracer | Cancers, bleeding, injury, blood vessel diseases, or infection, cellular metabolism |
| Optical imaging (OI) | pm | Fluorophores | Gene expression |