Molecular Imaging: Probes

Molecular imaging is an interesting and emerging discipline, which is formed by the combination of in vivo imaging with molecular biology. With the help of molecular imaging, one can visualize the cellular functions and can study processes that take place in human organism without causing any disturbance to their processes.

There are many applications of molecular imaging, these encompasses from diagnosis of several diseases like cardiovascular, neurological diseases and even cancer. There are many probes, which are used. Probes are basically substances which are used in detection/ measurement. However, the basic principle of traditional imaging and molecular imagining is same, but the difference lies in the use of biomarkers (also known as probes) in case of molecular imagining.

These biomarkers are useful for imagining particular pathways or targets. Generally, biomarkers specifically react with their surroundings. This is the reason why an altered image is produced. One can easily visualize the image before the reaction of probes and after the reaction with probes due to topological or chemical changes. Probes don’t react with undesired molecules and hence due to their specificity for their substrates, they are widely used.

Molecular imagining can be used for detect even minute changes due to molecular interactions and this makes them a powerful tool. Molecular imagining has also its application in case of quantitative tests where it can measure a percentage of particular substance of interest like MALDI (Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/ Ionization) which is based on the principle of mass spectroscopy.