Drug development for neurodegenerative diseases: role of PET

There are few relevant animal models for neurodegenerative diseases to be used for human drug development. Most current drugs for neurodegenerative diseases act through different neurotransmitter systems. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a unique tool in the study of neurodegenerative diseases as it enables quantitative measurements of oxygen consumption, blood flow, energy metabolism and functioning of various neurotransmitter systems. There are several possibilities in the use of PET in drug development. It is possible to radiolabel the drug itself or to study the effect of an unlabelled drug on blood flow, energy metabolism or function of neurotransmitter systems. All these approaches have been used in drug development for neurodegenerative diseases. However, in spite of the important role of PET in pathophysiological studies of neurodegenerative diseases, thus far the versatile possibilities of PET in drug development for neurodegenerative diseases have not been fully exploited.