Positron emission tomography in drug development.
There are four kinds of measurements that can be carried out with positron emission tomography (PET) that can contribute significantly to the process of drug development: pharmacodynamic measurements of tissue metabolism influenced by a given drug; precise measurements of tissue blood flow; tissue pharmacokinetics of a given drug following administration of a particular dose; and the temporal course of ligand-receptor interaction. One or more of these measurements can greatly improve the decision making involved in determining the appropriate dose of a drug, the clinical situations in which a drug might be useful, and the linkage of pharmacokinetics with pharmacodynamics, which is at the heart of effective drug development. The greater the potential of a particular compound as a therapeutic agent, the greater the potential for PET to contribute to the drug development process.
Rubin
R H
RH
Center for Experimental Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Gordon and Marjorie Osborne Chair of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge 02142, USA.
Fischman
A J
AJ
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D010600:Pharmacology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed