Role of X-Ray Imaging in the Development of Drugs
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Drug Informarion Journal. Vol. 31, pp. 635440, 1999 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
ROLE OF X-RAY IMAGING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRUGS SANJAY SAINI, MD,
AND
RAJU SHARMA, MD
Department of Radiology, Division of Abdominal Imaging & Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
X-ray imiging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of pathology of virtiuilly every organ system of the human body. I t has provided a crucial insight into the pathogenesis and patho-physiology of many diseases. Radiological modalities have been used as a measure of drug eficacy and an objective means of comparing various drug regimens. This article describes the current role of X-ray imaging in the development of drugs and outlines the possibilities in the future. Key Words: Plain film radiography; Computed tomography; Drug development
of disease. New therapeutic developments ideally stem from an understanding of the THE SPECIALTY OF RADIOLOGY has pathogenesis of a condition, modification of progressed remarkably during the last few established therapies, or use of established decades. X-ray imaging has advanced from therapies as a template for progress. X-ray being a scientific curiosity to an integral part based imaging techniques provide an objecof health care. Despite the introduction of tive measure of drug efficacy. This can proimaging modalities such as ultrasonography vide critical timely data for potential utility and magnetic resonance imaging, advances of new drugs in various diseases and help in in X-ray imaging techniques, particularly comparative analysis of different drug regifast computed tomography (CT) scanning, mens. This information can be of immense have made X-ray imaging an increasingly help to research and development in the pharpotent tool and ensured that it continues to maceutical industry. be the most commonly used method for diagConventional plain film radiography can nostic imaging. In addition to playing a piv- provide excellent information on the progresotal role in the diagnosis of human pathology, sion of many diseases. This is especially true conventional and modem X-ray based im- in areas where inherent contrast between paaging modalities have helped researchers to thology and normal tissues is good (such as understand the patho-physiological basis in the lungs) or in areas where anatomy is not very complex (such as bony skeleton and joints). The advantages of plain film radiography are its low cost and wide availability. Presented at the DIA Workshop “Diagnostic ImagingAdvances and International Standardization in Com- Various inflammatory. infectious, neoplastic, pound Development and Diagnostic Procedures.” Noautoimmune, and metabolic processes can be vember 20-21, 1997, Milan, Italy. readily documented and the effect of drug Reprint address: Sanjay Saini, MD, Division of therapy can be easily evaluated. The applicaAbdominal Imaging and Intervention, Ellison 234, tions are far too numerous to be discussed Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Bosindividually
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