Use of PET reduces drug R&D strain
imaging has the potential to eliminate more strenuous drug
development trials with animals, creating a viable alternative.
PET provides a noninvasive view into a person's living biology as it tracks a range of biological processes from metabolism to receptors, gene expression and drug activity.
This imaging tool examines the chemistry and biology of a person's body by monitoring ingested tracer molecules, and it is used to study the metabolism of the brain, the heart and cancer. A miniature version of PET was developed and is used in much the same way to image small animals.
A major benefit of small animal imaging "is the ability to carry out many studies at various time points with the same animal," said Michael Welch, co-director of the division of radiological sciences at Washington University.
Studies on the same living animal can be extended over a period of time, allowing researchers to follow the development of disease in one subject and to monitor the effects of interventions on disease progression and outcome.
Crucial information can be obtained noninvasively, repeatedly and quantitatively in the same animal. With small animal imaging, scientists can very rapidly evaluate new radiopharmaceuticals using a limited number of animals and possibly eliminate the need for biopsies, extending an animal's life.
Small animals, especially mice, play a fundamental in pharmaceutical R&D as they possess nearly the same set of genes as humans. This could lead to improved diagnosis of disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, epilepsy, cardiovascular illnesses and many cancers.
Researchers can gain a broader understanding of basic insights into disease processes to drug development and early response to anticancer and gene therapy. In addition, small animal imaging significantly reduces the preclinical evaluation time for therapeutic pharmaceuticals, possibly speeding the way for innovative drugs to patients.
Since there is no public registry of animal researchers, Welch estimates that there may be as many as 12,000 academic and private animal imaging labs in the world and that more than 200 may do small animal PET routinely.
Through small animal imaging research, Welch and his researchers gained more of an understanding about titanium anti-cancer drugs and new techniques for PET imaging with 45Ti, which they found to have excellent imaging characteristics and to be relatively inexpensive to produce. Welch and his researchers are also investigating the effect of cancer therapies on tumour function and performing cardiac studies that explore drugs that reverse the conditions of animals.
The group of studies, including Welch's, entitled: "Preparation, Biodistribution and Small Animal PET of 45Ti-Transferrin" is published in the April issue of the Society of Nuclear Medicine's Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
