Translational PET imaging research.
The goal of any early central nervous system (CNS) drug development program is always to test the mechanism and not the molecule in order to support additional research investments in late phase clinical trials. Confirmation that drugs reach their targets using translational positron emission tomography (PET) imaging markers of engagement is central to successful clinical proof-of-concept testing and has become an important feature of most neuropsychiatric drug development programs. CNS PET imaging can also play an important role in the clinical investigation of the neuropharmacological basis of psychiatric disease and the optimization of drug therapy.
Merck and Co, WP-42-212, 770, Sumneytown Pike, PO Box 4, West Point, PA19486, USA. Electronic address: richard_hargreaves@merck.com.
Richard J
RJ
Hargreaves
Eugenii A
EA
Rabiner
D002491:Central Nervous System Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical
D002491:Central Nervous System Agents
Drug development; Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging; Psychiatry imaging; Target engagement imaging