Investigating Pharmacology In Vivo Using Magnetic Resonance and Optical Imaging

The better and earlier a disease can be diagnosed and characterized, the greater the chance of being able to intervene in this process with a chemical entity. This is the rationale for the use of in vivo imaging techniques in the drug discovery and development process. In this article we address the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Drugs in R&D 2008-01, Vol.9 (5), p.277-306
Main Authors: Ripoll, Jorge, Ntziachristos, Vasilis, Cannet, Catherine, Babin, Anna Louise, Kneuer, Rainer, Gremlich, Hans-Ulrich, Beckmann, Nicolau
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Drug Discovery - instrumentation
Drug Discovery - methods
Humans
Internal Medicine
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - instrumentation
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Microscopy, Energy-Filtering Transmission Electron - instrumentation
Microscopy, Energy-Filtering Transmission Electron - methods
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Pharmacotherapy
Review Article
Technology, Pharmaceutical - instrumentation
Technology, Pharmaceutical - methods
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Summary:The better and earlier a disease can be diagnosed and characterized, the greater the chance of being able to intervene in this process with a chemical entity. This is the rationale for the use of in vivo imaging techniques in the drug discovery and development process. In this article we address the value of two imaging modalities in this area, i.e. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and optical imaging. The multiparametric nature of MRI enables anatomical, functional, metabolic and, to a certain extent, also cellular and target-related information to be obtained noninvasively at high spatial resolution. This favours characterization of a disease state and the corresponding drug intervention. The noninvasiveness of MRI strengthens the link between preclinical and clinical pharmaceutical research. The high sensitivity of optical techniques enables molecular information to be obtained in vivo . Within pharmacological research, the main applications of optical techniques relate to the early drug discovery process and acquisition of target-related information. However, potential clinical applications of optical imaging are also emerging. The complementary character of both imaging modalities renders them useful in various portions of the drug discovery process, from early target selection and validation to clinical studies.
ISSN:1174-5886
1179-6901
DOI:10.2165/00126839-200809050-00001