Will imaging of apoptosis play a role in clinical care? A tale of mice and men.

摘要: Programmed cell death (apoptosis) plays a role in the pathophysiology of many diseases and outcome treatment. Apoptosis is likely mechanism behind cytoreductive effects standard chemotherapeutic radiation treatments, rejection organ transplants, cellular damage collagen vascular disorders, delayed due to hypoxic-ischemic injury myocardial infarction neonatal hypoxic ischemic injury. Observations about apoptosis have fueled development novel agents treatment strategies specifically aimed at inducing or inhibiting apoptosis. Despite these research developments there are no clinical entities where specific measures used either diagnosis patient management. Part difficulty bridging gap between basic science understanding application this information lack sensitive marker monitor programmed association with disease progression regression. Technetium-99m labeled annexin V localizes sites in-vivo, its nanomolar affinity for membrane bound phosphatidylserine. Radiolabeled imaging permits identification site extent experimental animals. Annexin has been successfully animal models image transplant rejection, characterize successful therapy tumors, pinpoint acute infarction, identify brain newborn adult. Early studies human subjects suggest that 99mTc will be also useful recipients, localize effectiveness single patients tumors. This review describes approaches detect in-vivo presently early trials. The preliminary data extrapolated conditions may valuable decision making. These include: rejection; hypoxic/ischemic heart brain; determining efficacy cancer, failure osteoporosis.