Abstract
The rapidly emerging field of molecular imaging is poised to open new vistas
for basic researchers, scientists working in drug discovery and development,
and physicians. This new report delves fully into:
- The history, evolution, and potential of molecular imaging
- The technologies in use today and under development for the future
- Applications in drug development and diagnostic medicine
- Market dynamics that are shaping and reshaping commerce in molecular
imaging instruments and reagents
- Regulatory aspects of the field
- Interviews with experts active as either providers or users of molecular
imaging
- Results of an online survey of individuals in pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies and institutional researchers
Source: © Cambridge Healthtech Institute, Insight Pharma Reports,
"Molecular Imaging in Drug R&D and Medical Practice," January 2008
Little more than 5 years old, the postgenomic field of molecular imaging is
undergoing rapid research and commercial development, driven largely by big
pharma' s burgeoning interest in biomarkers as crucial for decision support in
preclinical and early clinical development.
The term biomarker is often associated with the detection or measurement (in
vitro) of expressed genes, proteins, or metabolites in biological fluids. To
drug developers, however, biomarker can refer equally well to morphological,
functional, or molecular measurements made in vivo using medical imaging
equipment, such as:
- Computed tomography (CT)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Positron emission tomography (PET)
- Ultrasound
- Optical scanners
Progress in molecular imaging biomarkers for preclinical development, which do
not need regulatory approval, potentially leads to biomarkers for human
clinical trials, which do require such approval. Those biomarkers deemed
useful in routine medical practice may then graduate to become part of the
physician' s diagnostic armamentarium. Molecular imaging requires probes or
tracer molecules, and few such molecules have yet been approved for use in
humans. Although a number more are in development, the expense in dollars and
time required currently limit the rate of expansion of the molecular imaging
field. A number of companies, both large and small, have set out to remedy
this situation.
Molecular Imaging in Drug R&D and Medical Practice: Technologies,
Applications, Markets offers thorough insight into the molecular imaging
marketplace, which consists of 3 main supplier factions: large corporations,
small corporations, and contract research organizations (CROs). Researchers in
the commercial sector provide new instrument and reagent technologies, but
academic researchers also have a significant role to play in generating new
concepts and testing their feasibility. On the consumption end, pharmaceutical
and biotechnology companies use instruments and reagents for preclinical and
clinical development directly in-house and indirectly through CROs and
academic centers. This report is a valuable tool for all involved in the field.
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