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Nuclear Medicine Research
Introduction to PET Imaging with Emphasis on Biomedical Research
Medical imaging is migrating from anatomic imaging to functional imaging and
fused anatomic/functional imaging. The technology is being adapted for
biomedical research using both clinical and small animal scanners. The
ability to externally image real-time physiologic processes in both normal
and deranged conditions, including various models to image gene expression,
apoptosis, or drug biodistribution, has powerful impact on the exploration of
biomedical and fundamental biological research. Positron emission tomography
(PET) has a unique ability to not only provide such images but also to do so
with high resolution (typically 1–2 mm resolution for small animal scanners)
and to provide both relative and absolute quantitation. This technology is
revolutionizing biomedical and biological research. This article reviews the
underlying principles involved in this technology, gives a brief history of
its development, and then introduces the interested researcher to some of the
important techniques that could be of use.
[view pdf* of article]
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