Steven M. Larson Pages 950 - 956 ( 7 )
In the last decade radiotracers have been gradually growing in importance as aids for the development of new drugs. This development has been most pronounced for Psychiatric and Neurologic drugs [1, 2], but has more recently been adapted to the development of drugs against cancer. In this mini-review, we describe how advances in molecular imaging of cancer are likely to lead to advances in development and improved application of anti-cancer drugs [3]. We will focus on 4 aspects of use of radiotracers: 1) for treatment response assessment; 2) for the study of kinetics and pharmacology of novel drugs, including bioavailability and local tumor concentration; 3) the identification of the biologic target at the cellular level; 4) the combination of nanocarriers and radioisotopes to improve biodistribution.
Drug Development,radiotracers,molecular imaging,anti-cancer drugs,Cancer Biology
Nuclear Medicine Service, Department of Radiology, SC212 1275 York Avenue, New York, New York, USA.