title: Positron emission tomography in drug development.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fischman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D010600:Pharmacology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed