Preclinical PET Imaging in Studies of Candidate Therapeutics

in the development and validation of therapeutic agents for cancer and neurological disorders, and a range of other diseases.1,2,3 Reported studies have used numerous agents including 18FDG, 18FLT, 18FMISO and 18FAZA as early biomarkers of drug efficacy.2,4 Preclinical PET imaging has been proven in studies of therapeutic targeting and biodistribution, drug target interactions, pharmacodynamics and toxicology.5 These methods have helped facilitate the development of therapeutic agents that are now clinically available.6 Probably two of the most common uses of preclinical PET imaging in drug discovery are studies of compound targeting and biodistribution and therapeutic efficacy. Here, we will provide a brief introduction to preclinical PET imaging for such studies. Targeting and Biodistribution