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Updated: May 19, 2026

Mimicking the Function of Signaling Proteins: Toward Artificial Signal Transduction Therapy
12:24

Mimicking the Function of Signaling Proteins: Toward Artificial Signal Transduction Therapy

Published on: September 29, 2016

PET of signal transduction pathways in cancer

Jason P Holland1, Paul Cumming, Neil Vasdev

  • 1Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. jholland@pet.mgh.harvard.edu

Journal of Nuclear Medicine : Official Publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine
|August 11, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Molecular imaging agents, like Positron Emission Tomography (PET) tracers, offer great potential in oncology drug design. Reevaluating radiopharmaceutical strategies can improve their clinical use by targeting pharmacodynamic biomarkers.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Medicine
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • The integration of "omic" technologies has revolutionized drug design, emphasizing molecular medicine for treatment efficacy.
  • While numerous preclinical oncology therapeutics target novel pathways, the clinical translation of molecular imaging agents (PET and SPECT) remains limited.
  • The evolution of diagnostic probes parallels that of chemotherapeutics, yet few radiotracers achieve widespread clinical oncology use.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reevaluate current strategies for radiopharmaceutical design and utilization in clinical oncology.
  • To highlight the potential of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to provide clinically relevant insights into disease dynamics beyond simple target mapping.
  • To advocate for the development of PET agents targeting pharmacodynamic biomarkers for improved cancer treatment monitoring.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current trends in "omic" technologies and molecular medicine for drug discovery.
  • Analysis of the clinical translation challenges for PET and SPECT radiotracers in oncology.
  • Exploration of recent advancements in targeting pharmacodynamic biomarkers for functional PET imaging.

Main Results:

  • Systems biology and "omic" data have driven significant advancements in preclinical oncology drug development.
  • Despite a growing number of radiotracers in trials, clinical adoption in oncology is lagging.
  • Functional PET imaging targeting pharmacodynamic biomarkers shows promise for assessing treatment response and disease dynamics.

Conclusions:

  • A strategic reevaluation of radiopharmaceutical design is necessary to enhance clinical utility in oncology.
  • PET imaging offers capabilities beyond target localization, providing crucial information on biological processes.
  • Targeting pharmacodynamic biomarkers with PET can significantly improve the monitoring of cancer progression and treatment response.

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