Abstract
Growth of molecular imaging bears potential to transform nuclear cardiology from a primarily diagnostic method to a precision medicine tool. Molecular targets amenable for imaging and therapeutic intervention are particularly promising to facilitate risk stratification, patient selection and exquisite guidance of novel therapies, and interrogation of systems-based interorgan communication. Non-invasive visualization of pathobiology provides valuable insights into the progression of disease and response to treatment. Specifically, inflammation, fibrosis, and neurohormonal signaling, central to the progression of cardiovascular disease and emerging therapeutic strategies, have been investigated by molecular imaging. As the number of radioligands grows, careful investigation of the binding properties and added-value of imaging should be prioritized to identify high-potential probes and facilitate translation to clinical applications. In this review, we discuss the current state of molecular imaging in cardiovascular medicine, and the challenges and opportunities ahead for cardiovascular molecular imaging to navigate the path from diagnosis to prognosis to personalized medicine.
Highlights
As cardiovascular precision medicine embraces molecular-targeted therapies, the identification of at-risk and likely-to-respond patients takes on greater importance
Nuclear cardiology finds itself at a critical junction, where the pathway demarcated by image-guided oncology may direct the future of cardiovascular molecular imaging
The pathophysiological mechanisms of inflammation, fibrosis, and neurohormonal signaling have come to the forefront of molecular imaging in nuclear cardiology (Figure 1)
Summary
Molecular imaging in nuclear cardiology: Pathways to individual precision medicine. T. Thackeray, PhDa a Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Translational Cardiovascular Molecular Imaging, Hannover, Germany. Growth of molecular imaging bears potential to transform nuclear cardiology from a primarily diagnostic method to a precision medicine tool. Molecular targets amenable for imaging and therapeutic intervention are promising to facilitate risk stratification, patient selection and exquisite guidance of novel therapies, and interrogation of systems-based interorgan communication. Inflammation, fibrosis, and neurohormonal signaling, central to the progression of cardiovascular disease and emerging therapeutic strategies, have been investigated by molecular imaging. As the number of radioligands grows, careful investigation of the binding properties and added-value of imaging should be prioritized to identify high-potential probes and facilitate translation to clinical applications.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
