Instrumentation and Methodology for Quantitative Pre-Clinical Imaging Studies

Radiotracer imaging studies performed on animals have the potential to play a major role in pharmaceutical development, pharmacology studies and basic biochemistry research. Recent developments in instrumentation and imaging metho- dology make it possible to image and quantify the kinetics of radiolabelled pharmaceuticals in a wide range of animal models from rodents to non-human primates. This article reviews the developments which have led to the current state-of-the-art, including advances in detector technologies, image reconstruction and tracer kinetic modelling. The practical issues specific to animal imaging studies are also discussed. With appropriate instrumentation and rigorous methodology, quantitative pre-clinical imaging has an important role to play in drug development.