Functional and Molecular Imaging: Key Components of Personalized Healthcare

The ongoing revolution in biomedical imaging has produced technologies capable of depicting both tissue structure and function with high fidelity. Advances in nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and optical imaging facilitate multimodality, multiscale imaging ranging from display of gross pathology to the products of gene expression. Use of multiple modalities also permits a multidimensional look at tissues, based on the way in which they interact with X-rays, magnetic fields or sound waves, as well as how they metabolize a variety of components. The convergence of biomedical imaging with bioengineering, genomics and bioinformatics is creating a climate in which "personalized healthcare" becomes feasible. Sophisticated analysis and combination of imaging and genomic data enhance our ability to: (1) predict the lifetime risk of an individual\´s developing a given disease; (2) direct the disease in its pre-clinical phase; (3) diagnose the disease thoroughly, down to its molecular level, (4) treat the disease minimally invasively; and (5) monitor the effectiveness of treatment. This presentation will showcase the tools of functional and molecular imaging and demonstrate how they can be used for personalized healthcare.