Abstract
This report examines the background to the whole MI market, providing
estimates and evaluation in key areas and examining in-depth the companies,
innovative products and academic research that are driving change.
Molecular imaging is radically impacting the diagnosis of disease and the
development of pharmaceuticals.
Molecular Imaging (MI) encompasses a range of rapidly developing diagnostic
imaging techniques that combine new-generation imaging agents and advanced
imaging tools to capture specific molecular pathways in the body, particularly
disease targets.
The clinical benefits of MI are clear. If potentially lethal conditions such
as cancer or cardiovascular disease can be detected before they take hold,
patient outcomes can improve and healthcare costs will fall as the need for
surgery or late-stage treatments declines. When MI reaches its full potential,
it will fundamentally change the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Much has happened recently in the field of MI. Many companies have entered
this new market and advanced contrast agents and imaging systems have been
launched, with more nearing commercialisation. New alliances, mergers and
acquisitions have taken place to bolster companies' prospects in the field,
with market leaders beginning to emerge.
The MI sector faces challenges: the agreement of standards and the development
of imaging technology and agents capable of being able to provide a meaningful
image at the cellular level. Few in the industry see these providing
significant hurdles to progress.
“Advances in imaging technology, along with increased understanding
of molecular and cellular processes, will revolutionise the early diagnosis
and treatment of major diseases”
The emergence of molecular imaging strategies is largely due to recent
unprecedented advances in molecular and cell biology techniques, the use of
transgenic animal models, availability of newer imaging drugs and probes that
are highly specific, and successful development of small-animal imaging
instrumentation.
These factors, along with continued expansion of scientific horizons in the
current post-genomic era, have been pivotal in the drive toward a new standard
that allows linking established in vitro and cell culture experimental assays
to imaging studies within living subjects.
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