Imaging transporters: Transforming diagnostic and therapeutic development

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Molecular Imaging
• Drug Development

Background:

• Molecular imaging enables noninvasive assessment of drug distribution.
• Understanding drug interactions with membrane transporters is crucial for drug development and clinical pharmacology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review established and emerging molecular imaging modalities for studying transporter expression and function.
• To illustrate how molecular imaging can reveal the role of transporters in drug disposition and effects.

Main Methods:

• Review of established and emerging molecular imaging techniques.
• Presentation of case examples demonstrating the application of molecular imaging in transporter research.

Main Results:

• Molecular imaging provides critical insights into drug distribution across biological barriers.
• Various imaging modalities are available for assessing transporter characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Molecular imaging is an increasingly important tool in drug development and clinical pharmacology.
• Imaging techniques offer valuable data on transporter-mediated drug disposition and efficacy.