Welcome to the Molecular Imaging Lab
Current imaging techniques are only capable to show bulk features of tissues with no specific interaction with the abnormal cells. Therefore, no molecular or even cellular changes are possible in early stages of some diseases.
The aim of new Molecular imaging methods is to better understand the fundamental molecular pathways inside organisms (In-vivo) in a noninvasive manner. One reasonable way is to identify and use specific biological markers and to screen individuals at high risk for developing a disease in early detection trials. Determination of cancer staging, and follow up studies are also possible using these biomarkers, and/or in some situations by evaluation Lymph nodes using non-specific nano-size contrast agents.
Various applications of Molecular based MRI studies are:
Cancer Imaging Cell trafficking/ Cell Tracking
Apoptosis Imaging Neurodegenerative disease
Angiogenesis Imaging Metabolic evaluation
Transplant rejection Gene expression