Main description:

Radioisotope-based molecular imaging probes provide unprecedented insight into biochemistry and function involved in both normal and disease states of living systems, with unbiased in vivo measurement of regional radiotracer activities offering very high specificity and sensitivity. No other molecular imaging technology including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can provide such high sensitivity and specificity at a tracer level. The applications of this technology can be very broad ranging from drug development, pharmacokinetics, clinical investigations, and finally to routine diagnostics in radiology. The design and the development of radiopharmaceuticals for molecular imaging studies using PET/MicroPET or SPECT/MicroSPECT are a unique challenge. This book is intended for a broad audience and written with the main purpose of educating the reader on various aspects including potential clinical utility, limitations of drug development, and regulatory compliance and approvals.

Contents:

Molecular imaging: introduction. Science of atomism: a brief history. Atoms and radiation. Radioactivity. Production of radionuclides. PET and SPECT scanners. Chemistry: basic principles. Cell and molecular biology. Radiopharmaceuticals. Chemistry of radiohalogens (F, Br and I). Chemistry of organic radionuclides (C, N, and O). Chemistry of metal radionuclides (Rb, Ga, In, Y, Cu and Tc). Quality control of radiopharmaceuticals. Mechanisms of radiopharmaceutical transport and localization. Pharmacokinetics and modeling. Molecular imaging in oncology. Molecular imaging in cardiology. Molecular imaging in neurology and psychiatry. Molecular imaging of gene expression. Molecular imaging in drug development. Radiation dosimetry and protection. Radiopharmaceuticals, GMPs and regulatory issues.