Pre-clinical Imaging

Overview and technology

For many years in-vivo studies were conducted by sacrificing many lab animals at different time/disease points for longitudinal studies. In the past 2 decades, pre-clinical images have provided the possibility to track biological processes within the same animal over time, thus giving better insight and less variability in the studies. Today there are more in-vivo imaging modalities available for pre-clinical work than there are for clinical use, often with increased capabilities. Today pre-clinical imaging is the cornerstone of advanced and biomedical research and promotes transition to clinical studies and therapy.

Use cases

Pre-clinical imaging is often used to track pathologies over time. The most common uses are for tumor tracking and measurement/quantification, disease progression, therapeutic agent tracking for localization, biodistribution, and pharma-kinetics.

Unique benefits:

Power your research with quality longitudinal data that is compatible with downstream clinical work.

?what is pre clinical imaging

Preclinical imaging measures the effects of a drug or other treatment on animals, often in the form of behavioral tests. It is a type of animal testing used to identify possible side effects, drug interactions, and the best method for conducting research. This can include the functional test that is part of pharmacokinetics, the study of how a drug is absorbed and distributed in the body, and the toxicological part of it examines the long-term effects of a drug on animals and humans.

Advantages of using pre clinical imaging research

To make an informed decision about whether to conduct a clinical trial, scientists and researchers evaluate potential treatments based on research results from small preliminary studies. These studies are often called preclinical studies, and they are conducted in both animals and humans. Preclinical trials help scientists and researchers identify which experimental treatments are worth pursuing and which are not. These types of research can inform and guide future clinical research and can also help shape drug approval processes by revealing potential risks and benefits of a treatment before they are brought to human trials.

How preclinical imaging is performed

Most clinical trials are designed to test a single hypothesis at a time. While these studies are valuable, they can be time-consuming and expensive to conduct. They can also be ethically and legally challenging to perform, as the results must be reported according to the rules of the law and the results must be kept confidential. However, there are scientists and researchers who choose to conduct more than one type of research at the same time. In these cases, the scientists may choose to analyze different aspects of the drug’s effects, such as its effect on different organs or different patient populations. There are many different types of preclinical studies, and the one a scientist might choose to conduct will vary depending on the researchers’ goals and the type of treatment they are trying to identify side effects or responses to.