Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1419733141, Iran.
J Biomed Nanotechnol. 2010 Jun;6(3):203-13. doi: 10.1166/jbn.2010.1119.
The development of molecular imaging technologies represents the opportunity to differentiate tissues based upon their metabolic and functional activity rather than structural and anatomic characteristics. The goal of molecular imaging is to reveal the pathophysiology underlying the observed anatomy and to diagnose disease based upon early biochemical processes. Detection of pathologic biomarkers can lead to early recognition of diseases, better therapeutic management, and improved monitoring for recurrence. Among the current clinical imaging modalities, MRI is uniquely suited for molecular imaging applications, offering a non-invasive means to obtain both anatomic and metabolic/functional information with high spatial and temporal resolution. Site-specific MRI contrast agents have been developed to target biologic processes that occur early in the development of diseases such as atherosclerotic plaques, tumor angiogenesis, and disease specific biosignatures. Furthermore, early disease recognition, prompting therapeutic intervention and drug delivery evaluation are possible using targeted contrast agents.
分子成像技术的发展提供了一种机会，可以根据组织的代谢和功能活性而非结构和解剖特征来对其进行区分。分子成像的目标是揭示所观察到的解剖结构背后的病理生理学，并根据早期生化过程来诊断疾病。病理生物标志物的检测可导致疾病的早期识别、更好的治疗管理以及对复发的更优监测。在当前的临床成像方式中，MRI 特别适合于分子成像应用，它提供了一种非侵入性手段，可利用高空间和时间分辨率获得解剖和代谢/功能信息。已经开发了针对特定部位的 MRI 对比剂，以针对疾病早期发生的生物过程进行靶向，例如动脉粥样硬化斑块、肿瘤血管生成和疾病特异性生物标志物。此外，使用靶向对比剂可以实现早期疾病识别、促使治疗干预和药物输送评估。
