An image worth a thousand lives?

• Published in: Nature biotechnology 2004-06, Vol.22 (6), p.677-678
• Main Authors: Hammond, Lisa A, Cavanaugh, Sean X, Thomas, Charles R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animals; Antibodies, Monoclonal - chemistry; Antibodies, Monoclonal - pharmacokinetics; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Benzoquinones; Bibenzyls - pharmacology; Bioinformatics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedical Engineering/Biotechnology; Biomedicine; Biotechnology; Diagnostic Imaging - methods; Diagnostic Imaging - trends; Down-Regulation; Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring - chemistry; HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins - metabolism; Humans; Lactams, Macrocyclic; Life Sciences; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Molecular Probe Techniques; Mutation; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - pathology; news-and-views; Phthalazines - pharmacology; Physiological Phenomena - drug effects; Positron-Emission Tomography - methods; Protein Binding; Protein Kinase Inhibitors - pharmacology; Pyridines - pharmacology; Quinazolines - pharmacology; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - antagonists & inhibitors; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - drug effects; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - metabolism; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor - antagonists & inhibitors; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor - drug effects; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor - genetics; Receptor, ErbB-2 - drug effects; Receptor, ErbB-2 - metabolism; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor - antagonists & inhibitors; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor - drug effects; Rifabutin - analogs & derivatives; Rifabutin - metabolism; Rifabutin - pharmacology; Stilbenes - pharmacology; Tissue Distribution - physiology; Trastuzumab
• ISSN: 1087-0156; 1546-1696
• DOI: 10.1038/nbt0604-677

An exciting array of novel antiproliferative systemic agents, including angiogenesis inhibitors, vascular targeting agents and signal transduction inhibitors have recently entered into clinical trials. With the exception of imatinib (Gleevec; Novartis, Basel), however, they have had lower than anticipated response rates. The quandary of whether the agent being investigated is actually interacting with its intended molecular target and whether the target is actually relevant to the growth drive for a given tumor is becoming even more acute as tremendous resources are expended for the potential benefit of fewer patients. In this issue, Smith-Jones et al. describe for the first time a positron emission tomography (PET) methodology that allows imaging of a molecular target in vivo over time.