E-Learning with EMBS: Employing Medical Imaging in Drug Development [Continuing Education]

The development of novel drugs is a lengthy process that requires years of preclinical and clinical research and many steps to ensure that the developed compound can be administered with minimal risk to patients. Drug effectiveness was traditionally assessed based on well-established clinical end points. However, secondary surrogate end points can also be assessed on the basis of biological markers quantified using imaging that serve as direct indicators of the drug's therapeutic efficiency. Compared to primary end points, biomarkers are expected to provide a shorter evaluation process without compromising the safety and efficiency of the developed drug. Modern imaging technologies enable multidimensional and multiparameter data visualization. As the spatial and temporal resolution has improved with newer imaging technologies, various modalities have been used to monitor substrate and protein dynamics and study the progression of therapy delivery in real time. For example, imaging data can provide the basis for the mathematical modeling of protein kinetics and biochemical signaling networks. While imaging modalities are now applied to provide secondary end points in some therapeutic areas, it is desirable to include imaging for end-point assessment in preclinical investigations by exploring models designed to report the activity of selected biomarkers that are detectable by certain imaging modalities. Moreover, with the advent of molecular probes, imaging will aid in not only visualizing gross anatomical structures but also visualizing cellular substructures and monitoring molecular dynamics. To complement the available knowledge on the scientific and operational use of medical imaging in drug development, the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biological Society (EMBS) has launched a recent education initiative to convey a series of tutorials on this topic to cater to specialists in the field as well as others interested in the concepts, methodologies, and applications. The educational material consists of slide presentations narrated by Prof. Mats Bergstroem. He has more than 30 years of experience in medical imaging and more than ten years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry.