Advances in Molecular and Physiolosical Imaging with PET and MRI

Abstract

One of the newly emerging field of sciences is the molecular imaging much owe to the recent developments of genetic engineering together with developments of medical imaging devices. More specifically recent progress in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for molecular imaging and its applications to Brain Research and Medicine and Biology has been of great interest. In this talk, among the interesting topical areas, Positron Emission Tomography for molecular imaging and the ultra high field MRI dedicated for the brain imaging will be highlighted and its applications to the molecular imaging will be discussed especially in conjunction with the PET which have received its interest thanks to the newly developed genetically engineered molecular substrates and probes and demonstrated, among others, the capability of early diagnosis of Cancers and Tumors. On the other front, increased field strength in MRI in the last two decades or so has accumulated a large amount of experiences in, both imaging as well as spectroscopic information retrieval, made MRI as the most rewarding medically and biologically useful tools in the modern medicine and sciences. With high field MRI, such as the 7.0T brain imager, one can visualize a micron size cortical laminae in-vivo hitherto unable to do with existing MRI systems. With these improved performances, together with increasing molecular imaging using PET as well as more recently emerging nanoparticle imaging, now it is possible to visualize quantitatively molecular mechanisms of tumor genesis and cellular migrations in-vivo. Another front of interests of ultrahigh field MRI is the functional brain imaging with markedly improved resolutions, both in spatial as well as temporal resolution, suggesting that there is possibility of imaging true oxygen consumption hitherto unable to do and will further facilitate our understanding of BRAIN together with PET.