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Quantitative Imaging Using Autoradiographic Techniques

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Pharmaco-Imaging in Drug and Biologics Development

Part of the book series: AAPS Advances in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Series ((AAPS,volume 8))

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Abstract

Autoradiography (ARG) is a powerful, high resolution, quantitative molecular imaging technique used to study the tissue distribution of radiolabeled xenobiotics in biological models. ARG involves the close apposition of solid specimens containing radiolabeled substance to a detector layer, such as photographic emulsions, film, phosphor imaging plates, and direct nuclear imagers/counters and the two basic types include: Macro-autoradiography, which is imaging of organs, organ systems, and/or whole-body sections (WBA); and micro-autoradiography (MARG), which provides localization of radioactivity at the cellular level. The basic technique is more than 60 years, but it remained largely qualitative due to the limited linear range of quantification offered by nuclear emulsion detection systems. However, recent technologies have revolutionized the techniques of WBA and made quantification of radioactivity in tissues possible. WBA and MARG techniques provide drug researchers with quantitative tissue concentration data and a high resolution visual location of those drug or biologic concentrations in intact organs, tissues, and cells of laboratory animals. In addition, novel techniques such as matrix-assisted laser desorption imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-MSI), and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometric (SIMS) imaging can positively identify the molecular identity and image the spatial distribution of the parent drug and/or their metabolites in the same samples used for whole-body and micro-autoradiography. This chapter presents an overview of the techniques and reviews the use of QWBA, MARG, MALDI-MS, SIMS, and tissue extraction and liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (LC/MS) in the pharmaceutical industry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. QPS, LLC, 110 Executive Drive, Suite 7, Newark, DE, 19702, USA

    Eric G. Solon

  2. BRMoyer & Associates, LLC, 23 Hawk Drive, Bedford, NH, 03110, USA

    Brian R. Moyer

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  1. Eric G. Solon
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Correspondence to Eric G. Solon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. BRMoyer & Associates, LLC, Bedford, New Hampshire, USA

    Brian R. Moyer

  2. Covidien, Hazelwood, Missouri, USA

    Narayan P.S. Cheruvu

  3. Health and Human Services Office of the Asst Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Tom C.-C. Hu

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Solon, E.G., Moyer, B.R. (2014). Quantitative Imaging Using Autoradiographic Techniques. In: Moyer, B., Cheruvu, N., Hu, TC. (eds) Pharmaco-Imaging in Drug and Biologics Development. AAPS Advances in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Series, vol 8. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8247-5_6

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