Molecular imaging-based early-phase and exploratory clinical research

Abstract

In vivo molecular imaging became a key technology for innovative drug development. Especially, positron emission tomography (PET) has been applied to patho-physiological science, pharmacodynamics/pharmacokinetics (PD/PK) studies, and drug delivery system (DDS) studies, and accelerated the paradigm shift not only from experimental animals to human subjects, but also from PK in blood circulation to PK in target tissues, even in human. Our RIKEN Centre for Molecular Imaging Science has been established to promote such innovative drug developmental studies with PET molecular imaging, as a center of excellence for development of molecular probes. The center is creating novel labeling methods on drug candidate molecules with positron-emitting radionuclides, and is providing the molecular probes suitable for targeting bio-functional molecules and cellular functions, which are useful for evaluation of drug efficacy and pharmacokinetics in human subjects. Animal PET studies with mice, rats, rabbits, marmosets, and macaque monkeys have also been promoted both under anesthetic condition and consciousness, which was a really difficult task but important for comparison with human PET studies. In this sense, mutual collaboration between the research consortia in basic PET field and in clinical PET molecular imaging such as Osaka City University Hospital would be of great value. Here, the concept, outline of our activities, and PK/PD studies with efficient application of molecular imaging is presented. In addition, the results of the first cassette-dose and micro-dose clinical trials approved by Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) project represented by Prof. Yuichi Sugiyama) are described. © 2013 The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.