Molecular imaging (often abbreviated as MI) is a specific field in medicine concerning the monitoring and diagnosis of humans and other living organisms from a molecular and cellular perspective.
It is originally a subordinate branch of radiopharmacology and its aim is to better understand the internal activity present in living organisms.
There are various techniques of molecular imaging, such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET).
These can be very useful throughout the different branches of medicine, particularly in gynaecology and obstetrics, to monitor unborn babies within the mother’s womb, or in oncology, to study and diagnose cancer and tumors.
The main focus of most molecular imaging research that is being currently conducted is the prevention of diseases relevant to the area. MI professionals are working to find a more efficient way to detect the presence of a disease in its primitive state, before the discovery of symptoms associated with that particular disease.
However, more research is conducted, thanks to specialized organizations which have been created worldwide to sustain the research.
It is therefore easier to learn the latest news in molecular imaging research. The world’s most known organization is the SNM Molecular Imaging Research Center of Excellence.
Other networks are present in the European continent, such as Diagnostics in Molecular Imaging, and European Molecular Imaging Laboratories.
There is also a program called the European Master in Molecular Imaging (EMMI) in Europe and it is intended to introduce students and help them become professionals in the area.
Meetings and Forums
Anyone interested in learning the latest news in MI research can join as a member of one of these networks in order to receive or attend updates in the field. Updates can be delivered in the form of newsletters, presentations, journals, books, meetings and workshops.
The SNM (Society of Nuclear Medicine) supports meetings at which scientists and physicians are encouraged to be present so that they can discuss their research together with other professionals.
Emails and Newsletters
Today the Internet is an effective means for sending and receiving updates via email or online forums about molecular imaging research.
Members who sign up and subscribe themselves to any website regarding MI can have the opportunity to select their medical area of interest (in particular, molecular imaging) and receive an email daily, informing them of any news that have been discovered on that day.
Newsletters can also be sent in the same manner, via email, but weekly instead of daily.
Books and Press Releases
Books and additional press releases about molecular imaging investigation are also published and they provide important information principally to internists and oncologists, due to the fact that thousands of people are diagnosed with cancer every year worldwide.
The reader is given advice by the authors, concerning the range of different molecular imaging tests and examinations, their benefits and disadvantages, how they are performed upon the patient as well as the method of preparation undergone by the patient prior to the performance of these tests.
These updating techniques are helpful because both professionals and non-professionals can achieve such updates related to MI research.